Scars Are Everlasting, But Blood Dries Away
by Lillerbug
Summary: Bella has had a traumatic past, moving to Forks does not help her escape. Edward craves Bella, but she refuses his every request. The Cullens try to understand just what kind of creature Bella is. She seems human, but somehow something more.
1. Keep This Time As Silent As It Shouldn't

**Keep This Time As Silent As It Shouldn't Be**

_She shattered skins and battered bone. When each cry turned to blood curling screams, she was bound to stay again…_

He whispered foul truths in my ear, his voice smoother than nails. I nodded "yes" to everything he said, numb from feeling. His eyes screamed warnings, but I never listened. Instead, I followed, like a lost puppy looking for love.

"Now, Bella, what have I told you?" the creature asked in a degrading tone.

I couldn't find the voice to reply the dreaded sentence I have had to repeat again and again: _Rag dolls are no fun; rag dolls must and will be punished. _My voice had died away long ago with the screams.

"What a shame," he crooned with a malicious Cheshire grin that exposed his blood stained teeth after a beat of my silence. He closed in on me.

I took it all, every unjust act, and I gave up on trying to stop it. I felt the familiar burning hitting my veins, but I couldn't scream. I writhed in pain hearing his laugh fading in the distance.


	2. Hiding in Lockers

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns it all. **

**Hiding in Lockers**

"Isabella Swan?" the receptionist asked. I nodded in confirmation. She handed me a schedule and a slip to be signed by each of my new teachers. I mumbled my thanks with my head down and left to find my first class. As I walked down the crowded halls of Forks High School, I felt the curious stares burning through my favorite black hoodie, but I kept my head down, watching my feet stumble every so often. I blocked out the whispers with the screams of my sweetest lullabies.

I referred back to my schedule as I reached the west wing where room 104 was supposed to be. An involuntary smile spread on my lips as I saw my art teacher's name. Mr. Munster. _What frickin' cool name!_

I saw annoyingly pink sneakers coming my way before I heard her perky voice.

"Hi there! You must be the new girl! I'm Jessica!" Everything she said deserved an explanation point. I didn't like her already. Her annoying squeals reached my ears past my lullabies. I gave in and removed the buds from my ears, sticking them in the pockets of my hoodie.

"Bella," I mumbled to be polite. My eyes never met hers yet I raised my eyes slightly, scanning the room numbers finding 104 two doors down to my right. Without a word, I started walking towards the room, eager to escape this overly hyper chipmunk. She grabbed my arm and I turned around, glaring at her.

"What?" I all but snarled. Her grip loosened a bit and her eyes widened at my gaze. I recoiled at my obvious mistake. I darted my glance away from hers and she shook her head.

"Where you headed?" she asked oblivious to seconds prior. I pointed to the room and gently shook off her weak grip on my arm. I turned towards my destination and walked off.

"I guess I'll see you later then, Bella," she all but shouted as I walked into the room and let out a deep breath. I shook my head to shield my eyes with my thick brown bangs and turned away from the door to face Mr. Munster.

I saw him through my curtained eyes. Friendly blue eyes and a welcoming smile sat on his face. His black hair fell in messes just below his ears. _Maybe 24? _

"You must be Isabella," he stated.

"Bella," I corrected closing the distance to hand him the slip.

"Okay, Bella. My name is Mr. Munster, but you can call me Jonah," he said taking the slip from my hand, "You are free to sit anywhere you please." nodded an took a seat in the back.

Students filled the room each darting curious glances my way. I doodled in the margins of my notebook as Mr. Munster lectured about colors and contrasts. The class flew by and I almost jumped when I heard the bell. I hopped up from my seat and made my way to my next lesson.

I found my trigonometry class without incident in the next building, avoiding any possible confrontations with new people. Mr. Chrest signed my slip and let me sit in the back. When he started class, I copied notes he posted on the board and tried to make myself invisible. That girl, Jessica, was in a seat across the room, but I didn't want to take the chance of having to be stuck in a conversation about who's hot and who's not for an hour. I fidgeted in my seat, tapping my pencil nervously. The guy sitting next to me shot wary glances my way. I could almost feel the agitation radiating off of him in waves.


	3. Faeries and Ecstasy Are Not a Good Combo

**A/N: I'm glad I'm getting some response to my story. Thank you all. I'll try to start writing longer chapters starting now. I hope you like the chapter. I thank my sister for helping me when I got stuck(:**

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns it all. **

**Faeries and Ecstasy Are Not a Good Combo**

It turns out his name was Jasper. He was in my next class, too. _Frickin' fantastic. _I rolled my eyes and crinkled my nose at his sickeningly sweet scent. I was placed in Senior Lit because the AP classes were already full. The teacher, Miss Logan, paired us up for an English project due on Friday. She seemed nice enough. I took a seat next to him after she signed and returned the slip. She left us to fend for ourselves and discuss topics with out partners.

I grudgingly turned to face him and let my eyes wander to his. _Don't have to worry about this with him. _His golden--obviously inhuman--eyes raged with curiosity and shock as he met my gaze. I tried to see myself through his perspective. Almost inhumanly pale skin, mahogany hair, bold eyes that glowed orange. This seemingly weak creature met a vicious vampire's gaze without fear. I smiled internally, smug at shocking my vampire partner. The silence grew annoyingly awkward. I cleared my throat to effectively snap him out of his reverie.

"Sorry," Jasper said with a slight southern accent, "I'm Jasper. You must be new."

I rolled my eyes at his obvious statement. "Yeah, I'm new. Unless…Have you seen me walking around here before?"

He chuckled lightly. "Right. Obvious. Got it." He smiled widely, revealing his teeth.

I didn't flinch but smiled back. "I'm Bella. It's nice to meet you." I was surprised at the truth in my words.

"Nice contacts," he said.

I found myself laughing, "You too."

We spent the class exchanging ideas for the project and throwing in little comments here and there that had us laughing. The curiosity of our fellow students grew with every laugh. The bell rang and we walked to the cafeteria together. I avoided any and all contact with the other students not wanting to charm anyone just yet. I grabbed a water bottle from a machine while Jasper got his lunch. _Food waster._ I led him to an empty table and we sat down.

Jasper pointed to my water bottle. "You're not gonna eat?" he questioned.

I shook my head, "I don't eat at school."

"You should probably--"

I felt the presence of another vampire and turned my head immediately to see a faerie like female a few feet away, practically skipping. My eyes met hyper gold ones. I sighed in relief and annoyance. _Jasper might not be so bad, but what about her?_

"Hi Jazzy," her voice tinkled like bells. _Annoying bells. _

He offered a genuine smile and stood, waiting for her to reach the table. He put his arm around her waist and turned to face me. "Bella, this is Alice. Alice, Bella."

The faerie, Alice, smiled, "Hi Bella."

I offered a small wave and a tight smile. Her smile grew as she practically bounced with excitement. _If she wasn't a vampire, I swear she would be on ecstasy. _

"We should be friends. I know! We could go _shopping!_" she squealed.

"I don't care much for shopping," I replied apathetically meeting her gaze.

"You what?" her excitement faded considerably, "Shopping is like--"

"Ali…Remember that discussion we had about boundaries?" Jasper warned.

"Bu-but Jazz," she whined. He shot her a look and she mumbled, "Fine." She crossed her arm and pouted.

"Thanks," I offered. Jasper responded with a tight smile. Silence followed and the awkwardness was soon too much to handle. I took a drink from my bottle.

Alice hopped up from her seat, breaking the silence. She waved at someone behind me and I felt their presence coming closer. I wrinkled my nose as each scent hit me. _One, two, three…There are five of them? _I groaned at the irony. My means of escape merely brought more problems.

They reached our table and sat down. Alice took the honor of introducing me to her group of annoyances.

"Bella, this is Rosalie," she pointed to a perfect Barbie replica minus the hideous scowl marring her perfection, "Emmett," a big guy with brown hair, "and Edward," a bronze-haired, brooding male with an intense stare. I found nothing special about any of the 'gorgeous' vampires sitting at the table.

Emmett smiled widely at me, probably trying to intimidate me. Even without the dimples, he wouldn't have scared me. I smiled widely in return to receive shocked expressions. My smile turned smug. _So, I guess this is a little funny._

Then the whispers started, the ones that were meant to be unheard by me.

Rosalie: "What is she doing here?"

Jasper: "She's with me."

Rosalie: "Well, you're endangering us all by having her here."

Edward: "What's with her eyes?"

Alice: "Contacts?"

I pulled out my ear buds and turned my ipod on. I stuck one of the buds in my ear, stood up, and grabbed my things. Jasper turned to face me.

"Where you going?" he asked.

"Somewhere that's not here?" I offered. "Come over to my house later today? We can work on our project."

"Sure," he said. I turned up my tunes and left the cafeteria. I could still hear their voices.

Rosalie: "What do you mean you're going to her house?"

Edward: "I can't hear her."

Emmett: "What do you mean you can't hear her?"

Edward: "I mean I can't hear her."

Jasper: "I can't feel her."

Emmett: "What do you mean you can't feel her?"

Jasper: "I mean I can't feel her, you idiot."

Alice: "I hate to add to this thickening plot but…I can't see her."

Emmett: "What do you mean--"

Rosalie: "Emmett, shut up. It's obvious, none of your gifts work on her…Is she dangerous?"

As I pushed through the doors, I snickered. _You have no idea. _


	4. Interrogations and Gov't Conspiracies

**A/N: In this chapter, you'll get a peek into Eddie's thoughts concerning Bella. **

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns it all. **

**Interrogations and Government Conspiracies **

EPOV

"Maybe she's an experiment made by the government to wipe out mythical creatures," Emmett offered with a straight face.

"So she _is _dangerous," Jasper responded sarcastically. "Seriously, guys. I don't think she'll be a problem." _I haven't felt the urge to drink her blood once._

"Me neither. Why do you think that is?" I addressed the unspoken comment.

"What? You don't think she's _dangerous_? Anyone who gets too close is dangerous. What's wrong with you guys?" Rosalie fired.

Alice's mind was chaos, trying to find Bella's future. It was all blank. "We all disappear," she murmured, panicked.

Jasper sent waves of calm to relax his wife's growing anxieties. "When she was here, I didn't feel any growing thirst," he stated, "and it wasn't because she didn't have bad blood or something. She blood smelled delectable, but it was like…I dunno. I just didn't want to drain her, at all."

We all nodded in agreement. I scanned the thoughts of the humans who may have had any contact with Bella.

_What was she doing with the Cullens? With _Edward_! If anyone should have him it should be me! She's not even very pretty… _I tuned out the annoying atrocity that is Jessica Stanley.

_She's pretty hot. A little weird but that's okay. Jessica said she won't look anyone in the eye…_Mike Newton's thoughts were disgusting; I tuned out his sickening fantasies already wanting to punch him through a thick cement wall.

I gave up after a few seconds of trying to find even a clue and the most of the males in this small school were already imagining her on their arms, like a trophy. They all wanted to date her before anyone else did. Sickening.

I felt myself calm and let Jasper feel my gratitude. "We can figure this out later with Carlisle. Maybe he knows something," I said grabbing my untouched lunch and heading to Biology as my siblings followed my lead heading to their separate classes. The bell rang as we pushed through the cafeteria doors.

_She seems like fun, _Emmett thought with a smile. I shook my head at his form of entertainment.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"Later," I called to them and headed to my class.

BPOV

I found my next class without trouble having memorized the map a minute after the bell rang. A middle-aged man greeted me. I hid my eyes behind a curtain of hair to avoid any complications.

"Isabella--" he started.

"Just Bella," I automatically corrected. He smiled in response.

"I'm Mr. Banner, welcome," he said. He took my slip and signed it. He led me to an empty lab table, "This will be your seat for the rest of the year. Your lab partner, Edward Cullen, should arrive shortly."

I offered a slight smile, fighting a scowl, careful to avoid eye contact and mumbled my thanks. I put my bag on the table, taking out my notebook and pen. As I waited for class to begin, I tapped my pen to the beat of my music, singing the lyrics in my head.

Just as the late bell rang, his scent hit me, sweet and sickening. I crinkled my nose reflexively. He scraped the stool across the floor next to me. _Great._ I pulled my ear buds out of my ears, a little more aggressively than I normally would have, and stuffed them in my bag.

"Today, I'll allow you to make up any work you haven't finished. Use this as an opportunity to study because you will be having a unit test on Tuesday. Use your time wisely," Mr. Banner announced, "That means you Mike." He pointed to a blonde haired guy I saw with Jessica at lunch.

He raised his arms in surrender, "I didn't do it, Mr. Banner. I swear."

"You shouldn't swear. Now get to work," he waved us off with a gesture of his hand and let us get to it.

I felt the vampire next to me staring at me. I grumbled and turned, my frustrated eyes meeting his. _"What?" _

His brows furrowed in confusion, "I just…uh…wanted to see if you'd like to have a clue of where we're having this test on," his voice like velvet.

"Thanks, but I took this class before and I don't need any help," I told him in a dismissive tone. I pulled a book from my bag and started reading trying to ignore his gaze.

"Uhm…how are you liking Forks?" Eddie boy asked like the annoying little pest he is.

"Not much," I mumbled.

"Why is that?" he asked.

"I hate the cold," I replied truthfully. I heard him chuckle. "What's so funny?" I asked, turning to face him.

"Just an inside joke," he smirked. The silence grew again. "Why'd you come here then if you hate the cold? Where are you from?

"I'm from Arizona," I answered, hoping that would be enough to satisfy his curiosity. It didn't.

"You didn't answer my first question," he stated.

I rolled my eyes and turned to stare him down. "I came because I felt like it. I don't need to explain myself to someone I don't even know," I said hearing the venom dripping from my tongue with each word.

His eyes widened in shock for being scolded by this puny little thing, his lips slightly parted at a loss for words. I was too peeved to feel smug for being the cause of his reaction.

I turned from him abruptly, ignoring his existence as I let myself fall back into the world of Ellen Hopkins. The noise surrounding me eventually died out as my mind wandered further into my book. I didn't feel the boys presence until he spoke pulling me out of my sympathy for the poor characters.

"Hey," the blonde boy from before, Mike?, said. "I'm Mike."

"Bella," I mumbled for the millionth time today. My eyes looking through the words on the page yet not really comprehending their meaning.

"How are you enjoying your first day?" he asked leaning on the table.

"It's fine," I replied.

"Cool. So…I was thinking…maybe we could get together after school. We can study or something," he suggested. My hearing caught the 'or something' and I scowled.

"I have plans," I responded. I closed my book and repacked my bag. I stood and slung it over my shoulder. The bell rang and I started towards the door without a glance back.

"Maybe tomorrow, then?" he asked, disappointment evident in his voice.

"I'm booked."

"Some other time?"

I shrugged and left the room, hearing a distinct snicker. _Filthy stinking leech._

**A/N2:My chapters are getting progressively longer. I think I deserve a pat on the back. Or some reviews? **


	5. Suicide Stories

**A/N:I know I said I would have updated yesterday, sorry, I hope you don't hate me. Oh and I forgot to mention in the last chapter that Edwards eyes were golden,..**

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns it all.**

**Suicide Stories**

I had my next class with Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie. I sat on Jasper's right, Emmett and Rosalie on his left. It was another review day. _I'm sensing a pattern…_

I pulled out my book to avoid the two vampires I wasn't sure about.

"Whatcha' reading?" Emmett asked. I looked up to see his golden eyes hovering just over mine. I didn't flinch away. I gave him a smile instead, entertained by the way he tried to intimidate me. I saw slight disappointment in his eyes, but it was replaced by a smile of his own. I pointed to the title on the cover of my book in order to answer without speaking and turned back to reading.

"What's it about?" he questioned. Usually I would've been annoyed but the way he acted reminded me of a child even though he was probably over a hundred years old.

I sighed and answered, turning my gaze back to his, "It's about three teenagers--two guys and a girl--who meet in a mental institution because the all try to off themselves."

"Hmm…Suicide stories?" he turned to the front of the class and raised his hand, "Mrs. Rhoads, Bella's suicidal," he said matter-of-factly pointing at me. Both Jasper and Rosalie were laughing at my expense and the rest of the class turned to stare at me. I used my strength to smack him in the back of the head. The two vampires stopped snickering when Emmett said, "Ow," rubbing the back of his head; instead their eyes widened slightly.

"Don't listen to him, Mrs. Rhoads, I was just telling him about my book," I told the shocked looking teacher.

"If that's all…" her sentence cut off. She looked at the rest of the class, staring at me. "Everyone, get back to work," she said with a tone of authority. I let out a relieved sigh,

When everyone was settled, Emmett looked at me with a pout on his face, "That really hurt, Bella."

"You deserved a good smack on the head," I snickered. I turned to face the still shocked vampires. "What?" I asked innocently.

I had gym last. Mike and Jessica tried to talk to me. Jessica wanted answers; Mike wanted a date. I brushed them off and focused on avoiding the ball that flew my way every once in a while even though I was sitting on the bench the entire time.

After class, I caught up to Jasper.

"Are you still coming over?" I asked.

"Uh…" he ruffled his hair, "Yeah. I can still come."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, no problem," he said.

"Do you want a ride or…?" I let the question linger.

"No, I'll just follow. Go ahead," he waved me off and found his family.

I could see that he was nervous. I felt a little bad, but I didn't think I could trust him. I walked over to my decrypted old truck. _At least it runs._

I got home eventually with a silver Volvo in my rearview mirror. I could hear their conversation, all concerned for Jasper's well-being. My sympathy grew.

I parked and got out. I opened the front door while Jasper walked up to me. I heard Alice's tinkering "Be safe" before the car pealed away. We walked inside and I shut the door.

"I won't hurt you, Jasper," I whispered, my head down with shame. I could feel his shocked gaze as I let him feel my emotions.

"What are you?" he asked. I blocked myself from his gift.

"That is a story for another day," I said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood. "And maybe you should tell Alice that she doesn't have to hang in that tree all day to ensure your safety. You can invite her inside if she's so worried."

I could hear her gasp. I smiled. "Now, how about that project?"

Jasper and I spent the afternoon working on the project with little suggestions from Alice here and there. I changed my mind about Alice. She was actually very nice. Just because I decided I liked her doesn't mean I _ever _want to go shopping with her. We ignored what we were and acted like three normal teenagers doing homework.

At one point, I went to the kitchen to get some water. When Jasper saw my choice of dinner he asked, "Aren't you gonna eat?"

I cocked my brow. "Aren't you?" I teased.

"Touché," he said with a smile and that was the end of that.

I tried to ignore the sickening scent and honey eyes. In return they ignored my orange eyes. Jasper and Alice told me about their family minus their mythical side. Jasper was a chess whiz; Alice was a fashion designer; Carlisle, a doctor; Esme, an interior designer; Emmett was a prankster; Rosalie was a car genius; Edward composed music.

"I just think you should lighten up on Edward a bit," Alice said.

I smirked at the memory. "Maybe, but he was getting on my nerves. Too many questions, and his scent is much too sweet," I crinkled my nose. Jasper and Alice exchanged a look.

"Hey, Bella? Would it be too much to ask if you can let me take a quick peek into the future? I just want to check something," Alice asked, pouting.

I rolled my eyes at her attempts to sway me. "Not because you pouted," I told her. I raised my shield and her eyes glazed over. A wide smile spread on her face.

"I knew it!" she squealed.

"Knew what?" I asked, wondering what her vision was about as I pulled my shield back to block their gifts.

"Oh…nothing," Alice said calmly. I was sure Jasper calmed her down. I narrowed my eyes at the drugged up faerie, but she rearranged her expression to a look of innocence, unwilling to give anything away.

**A/N2:Again, I'm sorry. Review?**


	6. Testing Boundaries

**A/N: The book mentioned in the previous chapter was 'Impulse' by Ellen Hopkins. It's a great read; my absolute favorite. It's been a while since I last updated and for that, I apologize. My mind's kind of messed up and I needed to clear it a bit. Anyways…Let's get on with the show.**

**Disclaimer: I'm getting tired of this repetitive routine so, I own nothing and I will never own any Twilight related rights. **

**Testing Boundaries**

Before Jasper and Alice left, I made them swear to secrecy. I turned down Alice's numerous attempts to drag me on a shopping trip even when my guilt almost consumed me. I smacked the cocky, blonde vampire as my suspicions grew and he winced.

"Geez, Bells, that hurt," Jasper whined rubbing the back of his head, a smile played on his lips. I kicked them out at around eight saying that I had to cook for my dad. I sat down with my book in hand and waited for the food to be ready. Before I knew it, I heard the sound of Dad's police cruiser in the drive way.

"Shoot," I checked the oven to make sure the bread didn't burn. I set the table and served the spaghetti as Dad put his jacket on the coat rack.

"Something smells good," I heard Dad say from the front room.

"Hi Dad."

He smiled in response. We ate in silence. I could feel the oncoming conversation in the air. All the questions we avoided had to be answered tonight.

"That was delicious, Bells," Dad complimented. I mumbled my thanks and waited for the his questions to start. "So…are you ever gonna tell me what happened? Why'd show up so suddenly yesterday? Not that I wasn't relieved to see you…your mother's been frantic for weeks…" he trailed off.

I sighed and let myself think of a reasonable story. When none came to mind, I made up an excuse. "I…I left Renee a note. It said I was leaving…I didn't want to hold her back in her relationship with Phil."

"That doesn't explain much," he replied.

"I know, Dad, but I'm trying to word this in a way that you would understand." My brows furrowed as I tried to think.

* * *

_I drove the distance from Phoenix to Forks in just under a day, only stopping once. I saw the sign that read: "_The City of Forks Welcomes You" _and sighed in relief. I drove through somewhat familiar streets until I found my dad's house. I parked next to the police cruiser in the driveway and let out a breath. I stepped out of the old truck and onto to porch. My hands shook with nerves and cold as I knocked on the door. The porch light turned on and the door creaked open. A shocked face greeted me, brows furrowed with worry._

"_Isabella?" _

"_Hi Dad," I said, my eyes meeting his. _

_He pulled me into his arms, "I was so worried. Your mother kept calling, telling me you were gone. Where were you?" His body was shaking with sobs._

"_I'm sorry Dad, but can we please talk about this tomorrow? I'm kind of tired. You don't mind me staying right?" I replied, my voice weary._

_He sniffled and put me at arms length, trying to pull himself together. He was never one to show emotion. It tore me apart to see him so broken. He led me up the stairs to my old room. _

"_I'm so glad your safe Bells," he kissed the top of my head and left me to get settled. I heard him on the first floor talking on the phone. I let the backpack, that was resting on my shoulder, fall to the floor. I reached the bed and collapsed, exhausted._

_I woke up in a daze finding the time on the creepy cat clock hanging on the wall. 6:04. I wandered downstairs to find Dad making breakfast. We exchanged pleasantries avoiding the questions that needed to be asked._

"_It's Tuesday, right?" I asked._

"_Yup," he replied and sipped his coffee._

"_I think I'll go register for school."_

"_So soon? Don't you want to get settled first?"_

"_Might as well get it over with while no one is expecting it." _

_Dad cracked a smile at my response. "You'd be surprised Bells. News in this town spreads fast. I wouldn't be surprised if the neighbors already started spreading rumors after seeing your truck in the driveway._

_

* * *

_I played with my hands and let out a breath. "I guess I just wanted a change. I wanted to spend some time with dear old dad…I don't really know what I was thinking," I tried to explain. I blocked the bitter memories of my true reasons for coming. I wasn't ready to face the monsters of my past just yet.

Dad cleared his throat. I'm sure he suspected there was more to my story but he let it go. I was grateful. "I'm glad you're here Bella. I'm glad you're safe."

I gave him a smile and stood, collecting the dishes to clean up. He stood and wandered to the living room. After I finished washing the dishes I went to the living room to wish my dad goodnight.

"I think I'm gonna head to Port Angeles tomorrow. I didn't bring much so I need clothes and I'll pick up the groceries for the week," I told him.

"Sure thing Bells," he answered. "Have fun, sweetheart."

I went upstairs to get ready for bed. As I reentered my room, towel drying my wet hair I hesitated. I sensed the presence of a vampire. When I realized who it was, I rolled my eyes and scoffed. A smirk played on my lips as my mind formed a plan. I threw the towel in the hamper, and yawned overdramatically. I turned out the lamp and fell into bed. I closed my eyes, my heartbeat slowed, and my breathing became steady. To anyone, even a vampire, I would seem to be asleep.

After an hour or so, I heard creak of the window as it opened and the light footsteps making their way into my room. _Time for phase two of my plan. _

I mumbled something incomprehensible in my 'sleep' and rolled to face the vampire who stiffened by the wall, my eyes stayed closed.

"No…shopping…" I murmured to lull the creep into a false sense of security. After a few more ramblings it was time for phase three.

"Edward…" I heard him stop breathing and peeked through my lids to see his eyes closed. I said it again and he looked so at peace. A smile played at his lips.

This is the moment where I should say: "And that's when I knew I had fallen for him. For Edward." Is that right? Don't make me hurl. I rolled my eyes but said his name again.

I lifted the cactus from my bedside table with my shield and threw it his way. I whispered his name once more a second before it hit and smirked, "Get the heck out of my room you creeper."

His face was priceless and all my anger dissipated being replaced with my utter amusement. He snapped out of his stupor and darted out of my room at vampire speed. I grabbed my phone and called Jasper.

"J-Jazz," I tried to tell him what happened but my laughter was killing me. I clutched my sides. "Jazz, Jazz, he…You should have seen the look on his face Jazz. It was priceless."

"Bella? Bella what happened?" Jasper asked, clearly confused. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. I heard a crash through the phone.

"Jazz, is he there?" I asked containing my laughter.

"Is who where? What are you talking about?"

"Edward, is he there?" I asked again.

"Uhm…yeah…why?" his confusion grew.

My giggles got the best of me. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. "I'm sorry that you have to find out this way but it's in your best interest that you know," I said in the most serious tone I could muster, "Your brother is a creeper." I could hear more crashes through the phone as I recounted the tale to Jasper. I could hear his amusement affect everyone in the house. Everyone except for Edward, that is, who I knew was still fuming.


	7. Sleazebags

**A/N: I'm sorry it's been so long since I last updated. I had to get through the last few weeks of school. Yesterday was the last day (sadness) and my birthday (eh). Okay so, this might be the chapter that tells you what Bella is. Or…maybe not. I'm not sure yet. Thank you for the reviews. They really brighten my day. Except for my two haters which use anonymous screen names. You're both so brave. Any who…enjoy.**

**Sleazebags**

Bella's POV

The next day, I doodled my way through art waiting for the bell to ring. Jonah had us drawing dreams. I drew trees and waterfalls. Truth was, I didn't sleep long enough be engulfed in dreams. I didn't trust myself enough. He went around the class asking for meaning behind the drawings. He came up to me, smiled and asked me for meaning.

The lie flew through my lips smoothly, "I dreamt of the forest…of finding a waterfall near a meadow." He nodded, accepting my lie and asked the next person.

A guy sat next to me today; he introduced himself as Eric Yorkie. I could tell he was nervous as he offered his hand, palm sweaty, to shake. I avoided eye contact in anticipation of the coming night. He prattled on about an upcoming dance and his job for the school newspaper. I half-heartedly listened. He seemed like a decent person and I was in a good mood. He tried to walk me to my next class but I shook him off, telling him I needed to visit the loo.

I set off for trig waiting for Jasper to arrive as I heard the footsteps coming toward me I rolled my eyes in annoyance. Jessica greeted me with her biggest fake smile.

"Hi Bella, how are you today?" she asked with a chipmunk's squeal. I let my eyes wander upwards but made sure there was no contact.

"Fine," I replied.

"That's good…" she trailed off. "Hey, you should sit with us at lunch."

"Uhm, thanks but no thanks. I think I'll sit with the Cullens again," I answered. Jasper entered the room and sat down next to me. The bell rang and Mr. Chrest called the class to order. Jessica waved bye and went to her seat. Jasper looked amused. I took the opportunity to write him a note while Mr. Chrest turned to write standards on the board.

_What's so funny?_

I threw the note at his head and he caught it too fast for most to see. He grinned with his teeth, read the note and replied.

_Jessica is a jealous wreck. _

I smiled as I read the response.

_Would you care to tell me what happened on your end yesterday?_

His amusement grew as he replied with one word:

_Lunch._

I turned to the notes on the board and quickly copied them down. The teacher droned on about formulas and theories I already knew. When the bell rang, Jasper and I walked to class together, earning envious looks from most of the student body. Jasper kept fending off my every question. I tried to change his mind allowing him to feel my overwhelming curiosity. He merely responded by trying to influence my emotions. I blocked him again, annoyed. He chuckled at my frustration.

"Why won't you tell me?" I asked him half past senior lit.

"Because Alice told me not to," Jasper explained.

My annoyance grew. "Stupid drugged up faerie pixie vampire thing," I mumbled too soft for even Jasper to hear.

"She just wants to be there to tell the story," he explained. I let out an exasperated sigh of defeat and crossed my arms, waiting for the bell to ring.

* * *

At lunch, I sat down, annoyed yet eager, waiting for Alice to enter the room. Jasper had wandered off to find her. Emmett came in first accompanied by Rosalie. They grabbed their props and made their way to where I was sitting. Emmett had a goofy grin on his face which made me smile a little. Rosalie tried to pull off her usual angry demeanor but I could see the small smirk pulling at her lips.

"Hi Bells," Emmett greeted enthused. Rosalie nodded her head my way and I did the same. After five minutes of waiting, my annoyance grew.

"That's it," I mumbled getting up. The cafeteria door opened and in they came, in all their sparkly, fake beauty. Jasper had a mischievous smirk on his face. They went for their props and sauntered over to our table, unbelievable slow even for humans. They reached the table an eternity later. Alice's smile was as bright as the stars. I scowled at her high and sat back down. They pulled out their chairs with an unnecessary screech across the linoleum floor. I glared at the couple and they sat down.

Jasper opened his mouth, "So…this weather…"

I growled at him and unleashed my wrath on the irritating creature. I unblocked my fury fueled by annoyance and his eyes turned black with rage. He sent calming waves around the table but I blocked my emotions before it could reach me. I glared at him until he calmed himself down. He smirked. Alice's tinkling laughter broke our staring contest and I glared at her instead.

* * *

Emmy Bear's POV

Bella's stare down was entertaining. I watched the angry little creature as she growled, curious as to why her growl kind of scared me. Jasper turned to face me and quirked his eyebrow in question, a smirk playing at his lips.

"Shut up, Jasper," I mumbled. He laughed.

Bella broke the stare down with an irritated scowl. "If you don't tell me what happened, I swear, you will be missing eight fingers and two thumbs before you even realize what happened. Tell. Me," she demanded and I'd be damned if I even thought to deny that this girl terrified the bejeesus out of me. Even Jasper and Alice looked a little scared. Rosie was indifferent to the whole thing and I pulled her close to me. All the teasing left the table and Bella smirked at the reaction, "Go on, tell me."

Alice's smile returned, "Last night I had a vision of Edward coming home and he looked all dazed and loopy so I asked Emmett to help me mess with him. We put all sorts of things in his way and he just walked into them, knocking them over; it was hilarious! He tripped and a piece of glass lodged itself into his eye." We all started laughing at the memory and Bella merely smirked. The rest of the day was uneventful.

When the last bell rang Alice went up to Bella, "Hey, wanna do something? We could go to my house."

Bella looked uncomfortable. "Uhm, sorry Alice, I've got some things I need to do," she said vaguely.

"What are you gonna do?"

"Uhm…" Bella hesitated, "I…uh, need to buy some groceries. Bye, Alice." She opened the door to her truck and drove away.

"That was weird," Alice commented when she was with the rest of us. We nodded in agreement. I drove us back home.

"Hey, do you guys want to do something tonight?" I asked with a smile. Alice squealed from her room. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Where are we going?" I heard Jasper ask.

"Clubbing," Alice and I said in unison. Edward groaned from his chamber.

* * *

Bella's POV

I set off for Port Angeles and rented a black Lexus. I changed into a crimson mini dress in the car, setting off for Club Aptitude. I stepped out of the car walking past the long line with a confident stride. The bouncer gave me a once over and for the first time in a while, I met his eyes with my own, willing him to let me in. His eyes fogged over as he let me pass the velvet rope. The club smelled like smoke and sweat; the music was loud and poppy. I walked over to the bar and sat on an available stool looking indifferent.

"Why hello there gorgeous," a man in a suit said leaning on the bar's counter top, "Vinny's the name and what about yours?" He was a sleaze.

I smiled offering my hand. "My name is Bonnie," he took my hand and kissed it. Major sleaze.

"A gorgeous name is fitting to such a gorgeous creature as yourself. Care to dance?" he asked pulling me off my seat when I nodded.

Human dances are grotesque, but I did what I had to do. I started kissing his neck and I heard his appreciation. I smiled and let myself give in to pure instinct. I felt stares boring into me. I glanced up and saw the Cullens. My eyes widened and I dropped Vinny on the dance floor. I said the only thing I could think of: "Hey guys…what's up?"


	8. Portuguese Scowls

**A/N: Another chapter, yes? Sorry it's been a while. **

Portuguese Scowls

_Previously:_

_I smiled and let myself give in to pure instinct. I felt stares boring into me. I glanced up and saw the Cullens. My eyes widened and I dropped Vinny on the dance floor. I said the only thing I could think of: "Hey guys…what's up?"_

Edward's POV:

Emmett and Alice dragged me to Club Aptitude with them, much to my displeasure. The club stunk of smoke, sweat and cheap perfume; it burned my nose. The music was too loud and distasteful. Human dances are utterly grotesque. All in all, I hated being here and I wanted to leave.

_Chill Edward, _Jasper thought, _Just have some fun, let go, and maybe, _he smirked, _it'll get your mind off of Bella. _I scrunched up my face in protest and he just chuckled in reply. Alice looked confused and but pleased. She blocked her thoughts from me singing a pop song in Portuguese.

"Alice?" I asked curious yet annoyed. She stuck her tongue out at me and told me to stay out of her mind. Emmett, Rose, Alice, and Jasper went to the dance floor. I sat down at an empty bar stool, disgust evident on my face.

"Hey honey," a woman wearing practically nothing, slurred. Her breath reeked of tequila as she leaned in closer to my face, "I can show you a good time tonight."

I cringed at her thoughts but tried to keep my voice polite, "No thank you, I have a girlfriend." At that moment Alice sauntered over and put her arms around my neck pushing the woman away.

"Hi sweetie, did you miss me?" Alice cooed, I heard her amusement and smiled. The woman scowled and stumbled away, looking for her next victim. Alice unhooked her arms from my neck and we laughed at the drunken woman. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a familiar brown haired beauty sitting at the bar.

"Bella?" Alice looked in the direction I was looking.

"Come on Edward, let's go talk to Bella," Alice dragged me out of my seat in time to see Bella talking to a sleaze in a suit. I felt fury raging inside of me. Bella and the sleaze went to the dance floor and disappeared in the crowd. We followed them into the throng of dancers. We bumped into Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper. Alice explained that Bella was here as I continued to look for her. My disgust grew as more scantily clad women rubbed against me. I dodged as many of them as I could.

I stopped dead in my tracks (no pun intended) when I saw her with the sleaze from before. She was practically making out with his neck. My siblings soon did the same. We stood staring with wide eyes and shocked expressions. A lot of emotions raged for dominance inside my mind: anger, hurt, confusion, a bunch I couldn't classify. She glanced up and her eyes widened. She dropped the man in her arms and I saw her lips were smeared with red. _Blood, _five inner voices thought at once, including mine.

"Hey guys…what's up?" she asked with a nervous smile. When no one said anything, she gently kicked the unconscious man off her foot and took a step toward us. We unconsciously took a step back. Bella sighed. "I guess it's time to explain?" she pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. She turned away from us and back to the man on the floor.

Bella picked him up with no effort, "Up and at 'em Vinny," she managed to drag him out of the club and we followed; Jasper trailing behind. She laid him down on the hood of a black Lexus and touched his neck. Her fingers came back bloody. She leaned into his neck and licked the blood away. "This guy should be good to go now," she mumbled to herself. She licked the blood off her lips. We watched her with curiosity. She made the man sit up, "Vinny, wake up."

The man opened his eyes, though they were slightly foggy. "Now go home and go to sleep for a good eight hours," Bella told him looking into his dazed eyes. He nodded and made his way to a car I assumed to be his.

Bella turned to face us again, "Lead the way to your house and I'll explain everything." She opened the door to the Lexus and started the engine.

"Uh…Bella, you mind if me and Alice ride with you?" Jasper asked, "Just a precautionary measure."

Bella nodded in response and unlocked the doors.

**A/N: I know it's short but I'm going to try to update before Saturday. The next chapter you'll find out what Bella is. **


	9. Muddy Threats

**A/N: I said before Saturday. I really wanted to post this at 11:58 because it would technically be before Saturday, but I decided against it. Read the author's note and enjoy. (:**

Muddy Threats

Bella's POV

We sat awkwardly on the white, leather sofas at the Cullen residence waiting for someone to break the silence. I just knew I wasn't going to be the one to break it. I don't know how much time passed until Jasper voiced his frustrations.

"This won't be resolved with silence," he half-growled.

I sighed in resignation.

_Time to face the music. _

"Fine, I'll answer any of your questions if I feel they are necessary for you to know."

"What exactly are you?" Carlisle asked, voice more patient than not.

I bit my lip. "Well, that's not so easy to explain. I'm supposed to be like you. I'm a vampire, in a sense, but not?" it sounded like a question. "Does that make any sense?"

"But you have a heartbeat, and blood," Edward rambled.

"And you're not dead pale…" Jasper mumbled.

"What about your eyes?" Carlisle asked curiously.

I raised my hand to stop them.

"Let me see if I can explain properly. Just give me a moment to gather my thoughts." I crinkled my eyebrows in concentration. After a few minutes Esme spoke up softly.

"How about you start from the beginning? How did this happen? Do you know?" she asked, gently placing her hand on the arm of the couch I sat on.

I wrinkled my nose in disgust at the memories. I would never forget. I couldn't. I nodded reluctantly, a scowl on my face.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. When I opened them, I met the gazes of seven expectant vampires.

"Listen, my story is only mine to know. All you need to know is that I'm not exactly a vampire, but I'm not human either. I'm not venomous and all my uh…donors live. If there are no more questions, I'm going home." I stood up and started for the exit.

"Wait," Carlisle stood behind me with a hand grasping my shoulder, "Who changed you? Why are your eyes orange? Do you have any abilities? What happened to the one that changed you?"

I cut him off, "Carlisle, I understand your scientific curiosity and all, but, as I said before, I will not discuss this further. My business is my own. Maybe one day I'll tell you, but not today."

"What about tomorrow?" Emmett asked smirking.

"Sure Emmett. Tomorrow sounds good," I replied condescendingly.

"Really?"

"No." I left the house without another word, hearing Emmett's whining.

When I was in the rented car, I remembered something and dialed Jasper's cell phone number instead of just walking back inside.

"Bella?" Jasper sounded confused.

"I need to talk to Edward," I said.

I heard struggling in the house followed Jasper calling Edward (I assumed) a jerk.

"Yes, Bella?" Edward asked cheery.

"If you ever sneak into my room again, you'll be missing an arm," I threatened and ended the call by shutting my phone closed. Emmett laughter was booming and I heard chuckles amongst the others. I started the engine with a smirk and made my way back to Port Angeles to return the car.

In Port Angeles, I picked up groceries and some other supplies I didn't pack. I dropped by the club again before I returned the Lexus. After I found another snack, I went to the bathroom to wipe the blood off of my mouth, leaving the man-Jay-at a booth, passed out with nine empty mugs of alcohol spread on the table. My eyes reverted to their old mud brown.

_I'm good to go for another week or so._

**A/N: Okay so I **_**was **_**going to have Bella explain what she was to the Cullens, but I decided against it. Why should she trust them so quickly? So, I'll just tell you guys what she is. She is a half-vampire. It'll all be explained in further detail later on. This was another short chapter. I'm sorry, but I couldn't get all my thoughts down. I'll update soon. I appreciate all you guys who added me to their story alerts and favorites and those of you who reviewed. Thank you good sirs and gentle ladies. (: Any who, I think I'll give you a little preview to the next chapter IF you give me your feedback. Tell me what you think by reviewing, yeah? **

**3 Lillie Lithium.**


	10. French Scars

**A/N: I think you'll like this. You'll finally get some answers to your questions.**

French Scars 

Bella's POV

The weeks went by uneventfully. I've noticed a few differences though. My eyes haven't reverted to the bold orange they used to be. They returned to a shade of brown very close to the color before my change. I barely even notice the itch in my throat and I wonder if my thirst is gone completely, though I highly doubt it. I haven't gone to feed since Jay. Regular food seems more appealing to me, but I still don't eat much.

If the Cullens wanted to say something, they kept their mouths shut. The day after the confrontation, they stared curiously at my muddy, brown eyes, but they didn't comment. During my classes with Jasper, we exchanged pleasantries breaking out in laughter whenever one of us asked the ever dreaded question: "So…this weather?" It had become a common occurrence between us.

Edward had been moping and it was getting on my nerves. In biology, his mood always shifted. He reverted to his arrogant façade. His 'charm' was wearing thin and I was close to exploding. I muttered French profanities under my breath, much to his amusement. He always smirked; in response, I scowled.

Emmett was being Emmett; whining about every little detail I refused to tell him. Everyday he asked me the same question: "Will you tell us today?" I always answered no. Rosalie was indifferent to it all, but I could see her irritation. Alice kept asking me to go shopping with her. I always refused.

I came close to slipping my entire story when I was talking to Jasper, three Thursdays after the incident. We were at my house working on a project and I asked him about the scars I could see littering his arms and neck. I was curious to know if there were any more he was hiding. I wanted to know how he got them. I had a few scars of my own, three on one arm and two on the other. Those were the only ones he could see.

He told me about his war days fighting with and against newborns. He told me about the death of his humanity under the watchful eyes of Maria. He told me that he ran away and found Alice. He told me how she changed him, but he couldn't deny his past. He couldn't forget what he lost. Then he asked me. He asked me my story and I told him. Not all of it, but enough.

"It's been almost two months since they took me. There was a small coven of vampires that kept me: James, Laurent, and Victoria. Laurent had the ability to seek out a person's potential. He saw potential in my blood. They sold my blood on the streets to vampires like a drug. My blood was like heroin to vampires. I was their ticket to power and they treated me horribly…"

* * *

_He whispered foul truths in my ear, his voice smoother than nails. I nodded "yes" to everything he said, numb from feeling. His eyes screamed warnings, but I never listened. Instead, I followed, like a lost puppy looking for love, but this wasn't love. It was fear._

"_Now, Bella, what have I told you?" James asked in a degrading tone._

_I couldn't find the voice to reply the dreaded sentence I have had to repeat again and again: _Rag dolls are no fun; rag dolls will be punished. _My voice had died away long ago with the screams. _

"_What a shame," he crooned with a malicious Cheshire grin that exposed his blood stained teeth. _

_I took it all, every unjust act, and I gave up on trying to stop it. I felt the familiar burning hitting my veins, but I couldn't scream. I writhed in pain hearing his laugh fading in the distance. _

* * *

"It was terrible, Jasper. The things they did to me. I lost my voice with screams and pleas for mercy. One day, Victoria accidentally bit me; James was furious, but he decided I would make a good asset to their little coven of sadists. Through the burning, I heard her screams. When I awoke she was missing an arm and several fingers, but that was nothing compared to what I did to her. I heard them talking when I was burning. They said that my blood supply was dwindling and they needed a new source. They wanted my parents. They wanted Renee's unborn baby. I woke up furious, abruptly halting the change. Only Victoria and Laurent were there and to say they looked shocked is an understatement. They said I was supposed to keep burning for another day or so. I didn't care what they had to say, I found my ability almost instantly." I unblocked my emotions from Jasper and used my shield to lift him in the air. "I'm a shield, Jazz and I could kill you at this very instant if I wanted to, but I don't want to." I put him down to prove my point, but left my emotions out in the open for him to feel the truth in my words.

"What about James? Wouldn't he go after your mother?" Jasper asked; the panic in his eyes was replaced by trust and awe.

"I found him and killed him. I told you my story for one reason: I respect you and respect deserves trust. I told you my story, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to share it with anyone else. Uh…One more thing. Wait here."

I ran upstairs and grabbed a stolen bag of blood and a spoon from the kitchen. Jasper looked beyond confused, his panic returning. He held his breath. I opened the bag of blood and scooped up a spoonful. I made the spoon swerve, making little airplane noises.

"Open up for the airplane or else all the passengers will crash and you'll have a bloody massacre on your conscience. You wouldn't want that now would you?"

"What!" Jasper eyes were wide and terrified.

"My mom used to do that when I was sick. I always cried when she told me that and she always laughed." I replied, chuckling.

"Not that, the blood!" Jasper exclaimed. He looked like he would have a heart attack if he was alive.

I laughed at his expression.

"Drinking this blood will shield your mind from Edward's ability."

"How do you know?" Jasper asked skeptically.

"My blood was sweet, James drank some and Laurent wasn't able to use his power on him. They tested it on Victoria and it had the same effect. They concluded my ability was a shield. And now that I'm stronger, it should protect you. Drink up." I explained.

He looked reluctant, but opened his mouth in resignation. He 'mm'ed in appreciation.

"Now there's a good boy," I said patting his head. "This should be just enough that you're protected but not enough to change your eye color."

We exchanged light banter for a while and then he left when the phone rang. My dad called to ask me if I wanted to go to La Push with him to visit some friends.

* * *

Billy is my dad's best friend and they told me that Billy's son Jacob was around my age. Apparently we were best friends when we were little we played with mud and planned our wedding. I do not remember any of this happening, but okay. I got to their house before my dad. It was a little awkward so Billy told me that Jacob wouldn't mind if I joined him and his friends in the garage.

I heard crashing, laughter, and screaming from a song I knew. I leaned on the doorway and recognized Jacob from the pictures on the wall, wrestling a burly guy I didn't know and another tall, skinny guy standing and watching, laughing. I just watched with an amused smirk on my face.

"Hey," I alerted them of my presence and they all froze, looking at me. Jacob had his opponent in a headlock. The burly kid pushed Jacob away effectively knocking him down.

"What'd you do that for jerk?" Jacob said, as he picked himself up.

Burly kid ignored him, "Why, hello there, gorgeous, my name is Quil Ateara. What's your name?" he asked wiggling his eyebrows. I laughed at his poor excuse of trying to flirt.

"My name's Bella…Jacob's wife?" I said with the most serious voice I could muster. Three jaws dropped as I walked towards Jacob, pulling him into a hug and pecked him quickly on the lips. "Hi Jakeypoo. Did you miss me sweetie?"

"Huh?" Jacob managed. I smirked and kissed his cheek. His face was bright red and I couldn't hold back my laughter anymore.

They all stared at me, speechless. I caught my breath. "I'm just joking kiddo. I'm Charlie's daughter. Billy was just telling me how we got married when we were little," I explained smiling. I saw the tall, skinny kid and pointed at him, "So, what's your name?"

"E-embry," he stuttered.

"Aw, how cute," I cooed. Embry turned red. I turned my attention back to Jacob, "So what do you guys do for fun around here? Isn't there a beach?"

Jacob was the first to recover, "Yeah, let's go."

* * *

The guys and I messed around at the beach. They were really fun and carefree. Jacob kept bombarding me with questions. We passed a small bonfire. The guys started walking faster and I looked back, seeing a group of five. Three of them were male, that much I could tell, and they looked like steroid abusers. They smelled kind of strange. Two of them had girls flanking their sides.

"Bella?"

"Huh?" I zoned back into the world of Jake and his friends, realizing he had asked me a question.

"I said, 'Who do you hang out with at school?'" he repeated.

"I hang out with that family of kids who were adopted by Carlisle Cullen," I heard a growl from the group we just passed. I turned back to them and saw the one man without a girlfriend staring at us furiously. The largest of the men went to him to calm him.

"What's with him?" I saw Embry exchanging a glance with Quil, shaking his head.

"Jake, no, we're not supposed to tell anyone, remember?" Embry whispered, urgently to Jacob.

"Aw, come on Embry. You don't believe those old stories, do you?" Jacob asked, shaking his head.

I turned back to see that we were far away from those people sitting around the bonfire.

"No, but—"

"But what, Embry?" he retorted.

"Okay, guys, what are you talking about?" I interrupted.

"Our tribe has these old legends, superstitions really," Quil answered.

"What kind of legends?"

"Only if you promise not to tell," Jacob said. I crossed my heart to prove my worthiness. "Well, supposedly our tribes were descended from wolves," Jacob started.

"And the Cullens are supposedly the enemy…well their kind," Quil added. Embry groaned.

"Their kind? What are they?" I asked curiously. _How much do they know?_

"They're the cold ones, blood drinkers, the immortal," Quil said trying to scare me, "Demons." He started wiggling his fingers in my face. I laughed.

"Then what does that have to do with those guys?" I asked.

"They're just superstitious. Sam and his gang are part of the council of the tribal protectors. They actually believe the Cullens are bad," Jacob explained, shaking his head.

"I don't see anything wrong with them," Embry commented.

"Yeah, dude. Have you seen the blond one? Man, she is smoking hot," Quil said, wiggling his eyebrows.

We laughed at him and continued with light chatter, mostly making fun of Quil and his antics. Even Embry seemed to be getting more comfortable with me.

_This is nice._

**A/N: Okay, so what did you think? This is my longest chapter yet. :D Does the prologue make more sense now? Did I answer some of your questions? Isn't Embry adorable and whatnot? Ha ha. Reviews for previews? Previews will go out tomorrow though 'cause I need to think. Jasper and Bella are getting a little cozy, don't you think? What do you think of Bella's past? Uhm…review? **

**Oh, there's a new story up. Check it out. I'm helping my sister write it. Read that one and review? It'd mean a lot to her. She got one review and she was so excited. Don't read it if you can't stand a little (and I say "little" very loosely) Edward/Vamp smashing. I for one think it's awesome. Read it.**

http :/ www . fanfiction . net/s/6093359/1/Die_Leeches_Die

**I love all of my readers. You guys make me happy. ;3**

**~Lillie Lithium**


	11. Naked Wheelchairs

**A/N: I decided to keep Bella's guy a secret until the end. I'm sorry if you're disappointed, but I can't see this Bella getting any closer to Edward. Maybe I'll come up with something. Hmm…I think I have just the thing. Enjoy! Oh, and Bella meets a/the shifter(s). This will probably be a really long chapter…well compared to the usual. There's a lot going on.**

_Naked Wheelchairs_

Bella's POV

The next day at lunch, I was bombarded with questions. Jasper simply whispered, "I told you so." He told me that his family freaked when Jasper was at my house, Alice especially. Jasper disappeared completely from her vision and Edward couldn't read his mind. Even Emmett seemed worried.

"Alice," I snapped my fingers in front of her face and she turned her frantic eyes on me.

"Please, please, please, Bella, let me see him. Please," she begged, desperation etched on her perfect face.

"Uh…I'm sorry Alice. I gave Jasper a gift, for privacy, you know? It's kind of…" I glanced at Jasper, "irreversible." I knew that was a lie. My blood would wear off in a month or two. Jasper sent waves of calm and amusement around the table and tried to lighten the mood.

"Well, at least I can surprise you on our anniversary for once," he chuckled and Alice giggled with just an edge of hysteria.

"How'd you do it?" Emmett asked like the big lug he was.

"I…I put my…" I tilted my head trying to think of a good lie. Then I shook my head, "I don't like to get too technical. I did what I did and I can't undo it. Let's leave it at that."

Jasper and I avoided the questions, changing the subject very _smoothly_ whenever someone tried to bring it up again.

Alice's eyes glazed over ten minutes from the bell.

"I don't get it. What does it mean?" Edward mumbled, brow furrowed in concentration.

"Alice, what do you see darlin'?" Jasper asked, grasping her hand in his own.

"I…It…It's too blurry…" Alice said. She shook her head as if it would make her vision clearer.

"Tell us what you can make out," Jasper suggested.

"Someone's coming, a vampire. I don't know when. I don't know why. I can see him talking to someone," Alice replied.

"Can you hear what they're saying?"

"No, not really. I can just make out the name 'James' and something about a blood bag." My eyes widened as I connected the visitor to my past. Jasper was staring at me, curious and somewhat protective.

"I wonder what it means," Edward pondered.

I stood and left without a word or glance back at the vampires at the table.

I immersed myself in my thoughts during the weekend trying to figure out who this man was. This man that made my memories collide with each other in my internal apocalypse. I remembered things I kept from Jasper. Those two insignificant recollections made me break down. Only…they're not so insignificant.

Number one: they found me when I was little. They came back once every three months to take some blood ever since then.

Number two: they killed my best friend. They promised me they wouldn't kill him if I came with them, but they lied and I saw him die. I couldn't do a thing to stop it and he died.

I drowned in my terrible past for two and a half days. The tears rolled silently down my face. When my dad found me in my room, he stayed with me for the first night, rubbing my back and telling me everything was going to be okay. I was only slightly aware of his presence. He ghosted in and out when he had to make a phone call. Or bringing me food that I didn't touch. Or doing what else he did that needed to be done. He stayed, falling asleep in the rocking chair near the window. As he slept, I saw the worry in his face smooth away.

I went down stairs the next morning to make my dad breakfast. I masked my face with happiness. I convinced him that I was okay. He didn't ask why I was so distraught. It was like he knew I wouldn't want to talk about it. Billy called and asked him if he wanted to go fishing. My dad hesitated, glancing at me, but I urged him to go saying I had plans with Jasper.

Half an hour later, he was gone and I was back in my bed, letting thoughts of Miloh engulf me. When Dad came home I acted as if nothing was wrong, but the next day, I did the same.

On Monday, we drew people who meant something. When Mr. Munster came around asking the significance of our drawing, I was finally able to smile and reply, "My best friend."

When Jasper asked me about what happened on Friday, I shrugged it off telling him my stomach hurt. He was skeptical, arguing that he tried calling me repeatedly over the weekend.

"I had the flu," that was my excuse when lunch came around and I stuck to it. The Cullens accepted my answer when my determination won over theirs.

The weeks passed and I saw myself getting closer to Jasper. He reminded me a lot of Miloh and I liked him more than I should, but I wouldn't act on it. I would never dream of saying anything. After all, it was just a crush.

Edward backed off a little, but Mike didn't.

"So, what do you think?…Bella?" I heard a voice.

"Huh?" I replied, sitting straighter and more aware than when I was spaced out.

"I just asked if you wanted to go to the dance…with me?" Mike asked.

I groaned internally. "Dance…? Isn't it girl's choice?" I asked.

He rubbed the back of his head. I heard Edward silently growling next to me.

"Well…yeah, but I wanted to see if you were going to ask me."

I quirked my eyebrow in disbelief. "Sorry, Mike, I have…someone in mind…I heard that Jessica asked you. You should go with her."

"Who?" he asked, completely ignoring my suggestion.

"I, uh…" I trailed off, trying to think of someone. Jasper came to mind, but I shooed the thought away, blurting the next name I could think of. "Edward." _Baise! _I cringed at the thought, cursing my foul tongue. "Uh huh, I was going to ask Edward." I could practically hear the smile creeping on his face and sure enough, when I turned to face him, he had the goofiest grin I've ever seen. I groaned and he chuckled as Mike walked away.

"I knew you wanted me," Edward said boldly. I pinched his hard arm, breaking the skin. "Ow."

"Shut up," I warned, irritated.

He smirked, "Isn't there something you want to ask me?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Shut up," I growled.

"Bu-"

"Finish that sentence and I will beat you with my iron wit."

He gawked at me, his face contorted in confusion. "What?"

"You do not want to go there, Edward."

We sat in uncomfortable silence until Edward decided to say something. His voice softened from his earlier self assurance. He actually sounded nervous, "So, do you want to go?"

I scowled playfully, feeling bad, "I guess I have no choice…"

I left school early that day and traveled deep into the forest to practice my shield so my skills could continue to expand. I meditated under a tall tree allowing every little sound to be heard. I heard the birds. The wind. The scamper of paws. I heard whimpering.

I opened my closed eyes and stood quickly, focusing on the sound. I thought I heard something strange. Something familiar. I heard it again and without hesitation, I ran. I ran towards the distinct growls of vampires.

The first thing I saw was a giant black wolf being thrown into a tree by a group of nomads. I heard the bones crack and the wolf turned into a man. The man from the beach. _Is this Sam? _

I turned back to the three male vampires who were now staring at me curiously. The man (am) stares at me, defeat and desperation in his eyes. He's defenseless. Vulnerable. Fury rages in me a growl escaping my clenched teeth. I turn to the vampires who haven't attacked me yet. With my shield I tore them to shreds, they didn't have time to scream. I pulled out my lighter and set fire to the pieces.

I turn back to the man after I can avoid it no longer. He's still staring at me too many emotions play behind his almost black eyes that I am unable to know what he is thinking. I approach him slowly.

I crouch down so I'm at eye level with him. "Are you okay?" I ask, nonchalantly.

He stares at me with those wide eyes and he whispers, "But…I can hear your heartbeat…"

"Uh…yeah…are you okay?" I repeat. "I heard bones crack."

"I guess…I," he hangs his head to see his legs. Both bones are sticking out weird angles. "I guess I broke my legs."

"Well, shiznits, do you need a doctor or something?" I ask, truly concerned.

"I just need to wrap them up and go home. I'm a fast healer," he answers awkwardly.

"Do you need some help? I can get you home…"

"Uh…"

"Well that's settled," I lift him in my arms, bridal style, earning a very unmanly yelp of surprise.

"Put me down," he growls.

"Not a chance." I started running towards the reservation at full speed stopping at the edge of the forest. I bet this would be a sight to see. All five feet and three inches of this average girl-weighing approximately ninety three pounds-carrying a fully grown man-six foot something, weighing around two hundred pounds. I chuckled at the image and put him down on the ground. "Stay."

I jogged to Billy's house which was very close to where I left Sam. When I knocked on the door, Billy answered.

"Bella, what are you doing here?" he inquired.

"Hi Billy. Can I borrow your spare wheelchair?" I asked. He was about to say something but I stopped him abruptly saying, "You don't want to know."

He quirked his eyebrow but didn't ask any questions, "It's in the garage."

"Thanks Billy. I owe you a meal or something," I ran out to Jake's garage, waving bye. I hurriedly retrieved the wheelchair and carried it to where I left Sam. He was poking his leg, assessing the damage, wincing whenever he touched the bone.

"Quick it, you're gonna make that bruise bigger," I warned, swatting his hand away. I picked him up and set him on the chair.

"Uhm…" Sam begins.

"Yes?"

"I'm still naked," he replies.

I laughed. "Oh right." I took off my sweater and covered his nakedness. "Now then, where do you live?"

"Uh…"

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you. Besides, I think we're on the same side," I smiled.

Sam looked hesitant but agreed, telling me his address. I wheeled him down to a little house near the woods, keeping close to the trees. I heard clattering of pots in the house and footsteps running towards the door. A woman with long black hair and a scarred face ran out, looking worried.

"Sam, what happened?" she asked. He groaned in response and she turns her gaze to me.

I smile meekly. "Hi there."

"Bring him inside, if you would," she responds.

I follow her inside and ask where the bedroom is. I send her away from the room she leads me to, asking for towels, wrappings, and something I could use as a brace. When she returns, I can see her narrowed eyes. I recognize her as the woman from the beach. It certainly isn't a good thing if a chickadee walks in on her man, naked in the arms of another woman.

"What the heck are you doing?" she growls.

"I'm uh…putting him on his bed," I respond. "Why so hostile? I saved his naked butt."

He chuckles.

I turn my attention back to him, my expression gone completely serious, "This is gonna hurt so brace yourself." I broke the bones in his legs again because they would have healed at a strange angle. He screamed profanities while his girl watches with wide eyes. With my shield, I will the bones in each leg to align the way they should be set. I reached for the wrappings and pieces of metal in her hands and quickly wrapped and braced his legs.

"There you go," I said, smiling.

"Jeez, you should warn a guy-" he started, wincing.

"I did warn you," I cleared my throat to prove my point, "and I quote, 'This is gonna hurt so brace yourself.' Does your memory suck that much? Hey, we never introduced ourselves. I'm Bella. Swan? Charlie's kid."

"I saw you with Jake and them that day on the beach. My name's Sam Uley, and this is Emily Young. My Emily." He looked up at Emily with such love in his eyes that I felt uncomfortable. After a silence much too long and awkward for my liking, Sam spoke up.

"What are you?" he asked.

I didn't feel like explaining my story. I was relieved when I heard Sam's stomach growl.

He laughed patting his stomach. Emily pulled the covers over his still naked form.

"Someone's hungry," Emily said kissing him on the forehead, "I made some muffins."

"Mmm."

"Would you like some too, Bella?" Emily asked me.

"Uhm, yeah. I can eat," I rubbed my empty stomach, remembering I hadn't eaten since Friday morning, "Actually, I'm famished." As if on cue, my stomach let out a growl that could have won Sam's.

The couple laughed and Emily brought us muffins.

**A/N: I told my sister that the very last word of this chapter would be muffins. I was right. Yay! Okay, so, what did you guys think? Before you guys ask, NO, Bella will not be getting with Jasper. It's just a crush and YES crushes are possible in the Twilight series. I don't think Stephanie Meyers understand the concept of a crush. It always has to be love at first sight. That bothers me. Any who, I got off topic. What do you think about all these interesting developments and whatnot? Review for preview(:**


	12. Muffin Dances

**A/N: I know I promised that the dance would be in this chapter but I have writer's block therefore this chapter will be split into two parts. I would have held onto this chapter longer but it's been way too long since I last updated and maybe this will hold you over for just a bit. **

Muffin Dances

Bella's POV

I nibbled on my third muffin while Sam and Emily stared at me expectantly. I wasn't hungry anymore, but I didn't want to tell them my story either. When the muffin was all gone, I sighed knowing I couldn't prolong the moment any longer. I turned to meet eyes and waited for the questions, none came and the silence became too uncomfortable to bear.

"Aren't there any questions you wanted to ask?" I asked awkwardly.

Sam's eyes bore into mine, "What are you?"

"Straight to the point, that's a good trait," I said lightly. I broke the stare down by looking at my fingers. "Well," I started, "You know about vampires, I'm sure. That's what I am, kind of, but not exactly. I honestly don't know the name for what I am…" I realized I was rambling and shut my mouth. The silence was overwhelming. I peeked up at the two through my lashes. They were staring at me, eyes wide with confusion, fear, and even a little anger from Sam.

"How?" Emily asked meekly.

"I'm not quite sure myself," I told them a shorter, edited version of my story. I told them that I was bitten, but when I woke up from the change, they freaked out when I awoke early and angry. Sam looked skeptical, warring with himself about whether to trust me or not.

"If you're…one of them, or…part of them?…Why did you save me?" Sam asked, brows furrowed in confusion.

"I killed them. I killed the ones who made me. I hate vampires. I hate their kind. I hate everything about them and I…" I looked down, twiddling my fingers then peeked up at them through my curtain of hair, "You reminded me of myself…" I was surprised to find the words were true when I spoke them. I met his eyes and my voice grew stronger as I told them my story, everything I told Jasper and everything I didn't. By the time I was done, Emily was holding me, crying her eyes out. I met Sam's eyes and I saw such sympathy and sadness in his gaze; it was too much for me. I turned away, rubbing Emily's back to soothe her sobbing.

An hour or so later, I was still answering Sam's questions. There was no hostility in his eyes, only curiosity.

"So, you feed without killing?" he asked.

"Yeah, but it's been a while since I last fed and it doesn't feel like I'll need to go anytime soon."

"That's strange."

I nodded in reply.

"What about the Cullens? I heard you hang out with them."

"They're decent and they don't kill humans. I'm willing to give them a chance, but if they cross the line, I'll help. I don't want any crazy, blood thirsty vampires near my dad," I explained.

He let me ask my questions as well. He told me he was a shape shifter. He told me there were two others like him. He told me that he wouldn't have needed my help but Paul and Jared were at school and he couldn't howl loud enough to reach their ears. He told me he was thankful for saving him and so was Emily. He asked me to come to a council meeting on Wednesday. He asked me to tell the elders my story.

"I can't," I was shaking my head. I was shaking the memories away. "I just can't…"

Sam looked disappointed. Emily placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and looked at me.

"We're not asking you to tell them your entire history. Just the how's and the what's. Not the why's," she explained and I locked my eyes on hers. I shifted my gaze to Sam.

"Okay, I'll do it."

They asked me to stay for dinner but I politely declined telling them I had plans.

* * *

I called Dad at the station, telling him I was going over to Jacob's. I drove my rusted truck to the little red house on the edge of the woods. I trudged to the rain and found the guys surrounding a beat up motorcycle in the garage.

"Hey guys," I said leaning on the door frame, water dripped from my hair, "Hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"'Course not Belle," Quil said, turning to wink at me.

"Hey Bells," Jake and Embry greeted in unison.

I quirked my eyebrow at the guys, "What, no hug?" I smirked mischievously and stalked toward them. They stood quickly and backed away.

"You're soaked," Jake complained.

"So?" I countered.

"Psh, I'm not complaining," Quil said suggestively, taking a step towards me to prove his point. I wrapped my arms around him, soaking his clothes. He picked me up and I stuck my tongue out at Jacob. I ran my fingers through his curly dark brown hair.

"See? Quil's not afraid of a little water," I turned my attention to Quil, "You sir, have gotten bigger. What's in the water?" I loosened my grip and he put me down chuckling.

"Jakey-poo, you don't want to give your wifey a hug?" I asked pouting, "You don't love me anymore?"

"Bel-" he started. The guys were laughing at his expense and I fought to keep myself from smiling.

"There's someone else isn't there?" I put my hand daintily on my chest and clutched my shirt. I put as much pain and desperation in my voice as I could muster. He opened his mouth to speak again, pain in his eyes fighting the amusement. "No, don't tell me. It's Quil isn't it?" I turned to Quil and slapped his cheek, hard enough to make his head turn but soft enough that it didn't hurt. His face was burning. My brows furrowed in concern, his scent shifted. It almost matched Sam.

"Bella, it's not like that. I swear," Jacob said, half joking. I didn't answer. I stared at Quil instead, my eyes widening. A few seconds passed. "Bella?"

"Huh? Oh…I…"

"You okay?" Embry asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," I replied. I left at eight, giving Embry a ride home.

"Thanks," he said.

"Sure thing, bud." I ruffled his mop of black hair. He blushed and left the truck. I heard crashes and yelling inside the house. Embry ducked his head and ran inside, embarrassed. I drove off, concerned but brushed it off.

* * *

I called Sam when I got home and told him about Quil. He told me not to worry about anything. He would take care of it. Minutes after we hung up, my phone rang again.

I answered on the second ring, "Hey Jazz."

"Bella? Please, please, please let me take you shopping," Alice begged.

I sighed, rolling my eyes at her persistence, "I've said no to you the other three thousand nine hundred four times you've asked me. What makes you think I'll suddenly change my mind?"

"You're going to the dance with Edward," she stated matter-of-factly. How she managed to sound so serious while squealing is beyond me.

"So?" I asked.

"So?" she screeched hysterically, "Don't you want to impress Edward?"

I stared at my nails, smirking, "No, not particularly. Why would you ask such a ridiculous question?" I could imagine her pouting. She tried to say something but was rendered speechless. I chuckled smugly. "If you don't mind, Alice, I think I'll do homework or something productive."

"But-" I hit the end call button and lay down comfortably on my bed. I reached over to my iPod on the dresser and pressed play. Words to a song reminding me of Miloh drifted throughout the room.

_I love this place but it's haunted without you _

_My tired heart is beating so slow _

_Our hearts sing less than we wanted_

_We wanted _

_Our hearts sing 'cause we do not know _

_we do not know _

_To light the night to help us grow _

_To help us grow _

_It is not said I always know _

_You can catch me, don't you run _

_Don't you run _

_If you live another day in this happy little house _

_The fire's here to stay _

_To light the night to help us grow _

_To help us grow _

_It is not said I always know _

_Please don't make a fuss, it won't go away _

_The wonder of it all _

_The wonder that I made I am here to stay _

_I am here to stay _

_Stay_

I let the words flow into my ears, closing my eyes tightly. I curled into a ball wrapping my arms around myself. I let the pain of every memory hit me. I allowed myself to cry. The silent tears poured down my cheeks onto the pillow case.

**A/N: So the next part of this chapter will consist of the council meeting and the dance. Review? No promise of a preview for review this time. I'll just give you a little peek into the dance here. Enjoy and please review?**

* * *

I threw on a homemade Banner Hill tee and my favorite worn skinny jeans.

Edward knocked on the door and I mussed my hair a little. _Perfect. _I took my time down the stairs to fluster Eddie boy just a bit. My dad opened the door about to let him inside.

"Hello Chief Swan," Edward greeted him politely.

"Hi," he replied. He opened the door completely to let him in and i stopped dead in my tracks. Edward shot me a crooked smile and that was the last straw. I broke out in a fit of laughter.

"Eddie, what the _heck_ are you wearing?" I asked between laughter. Edward stood in the doorway in a black Armani suit, and his smile fell. Alice burst in a fancy looking purplish-grey dress that stopped mid thigh. Three straps connected on the bustier clung to her left shoulder.

"What the heck are _you_ wearing Bella?" Alice retorted which brought on another round of laughter.

"It's a school dance. It's not supposed to be formal," I said.


	13. Muffin Dances part 2

**A/N: Part Dos, enjoy.**

Muffin Dances part 2

I arrived at Sam's house promptly at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday night, my big, brown backpack rested on my shoulder.

Emily answered the door, greeting me with a hug. Sam was sprawled on the couch lazily.

"Hey Bells."

With two fingers, I saluted him casually in response. I helped Emily in the kitchen and we prepared food for the pack.

I heard the footsteps before the door creaked open. Several gruff "hello's" came from the front room.

"She's in the kitchen," Sam said.

Emily nudged my side holding a large platter of food, pointing me to the table. "Food's in here boys," she said with a slightly raised voice. I stole a muffin off the platter and stepped away from the food as I heard the footsteps running towards the dining room. Two very large, muscle-y guys fought for dominance trying to squeeze through the small door at the same time. Both had short black hair that matched Sam. The one on the right elbowed the other in the face. I heard a crunch followed by the scent of blood.

He clutched his nose, "Paul, my nose," and swung his fist but missed his target. Paul pulled out a chair, laughing, and grabbed a pork chop, stuffing it in his mouth.

"I win Jared. You owe me ten bucks," Paul said, his word muffled by the meat. His eyes found mine and he quirked his eyebrow causing my smirk. "Hello there, I'm Paul and you are?" Gravy slid down his chin and I had to hold in my laughter.

Sam leaned on the doorway, "Guys, this is Bella. Bella these are the guys: Paul, Jared, and you already know Quil," he pointed to each new wolf in turn. Quil sauntered in the room and froze.

"Bella, what are you doing here?" Quil asked, confused.

"Didn't Sam tell you?" I asked.

"Right. C'mon guys, let's go. I've got something to tell you," Sam pointed towards the back door leading to the woods. The guys followed Sam outside, all confused.

I heard their returning footsteps. Paul's voice penetrated the semi-silence.

"If she's with the Cullens, why is she on our land?" he asked with venom searing his tone.

"She saved my life, Paul. I kind of trust her. I do not doubt her sincerity," Sam answered.

"But she's still a leech," he retorted.

"Paul," Sam's tone put an end to any reply Paul could come up with.

As their voices grew closer, I took a seat on the kitchen counter next to Emily, nibbling my muffin. The door knob twisted.

"I agree with Sam," Quil said, "Cut her some slack, Paul, she's been through a lot. Besides, she tore those leeches up real good with no effort. Be grateful that she's hunting them instead of us." Quil walked in, flashing me a bright smile; I smiled back.

"After dinner, we'll head out to the council hall to meet the elders," said Sam.

"Sam, who are the elders?" I asked suddenly anxious. "Billy Black isn't one right? He's my dad's best friend. What if he tells on me?"

"Let me get this straight," Paul started and I directed my attention to him. "You can kill a couple of leeches with no problem and carry a full grown, naked wolf through miles of forest and Daddy scares you?" He quirked his eyebrow waiting for my response, I nodded. He burst into laughter and everyone, but me, followed his lead.

"What?" I growled, angrily. The guys froze eyes wide from shock. Their faces were dumb struck and slightly fearful. Priceless. I needed a picture so I took out my cell phone faster than their eyes could follow. I smirked as they realized what was happening. "Ha ha, I'm just messing, but seriously I don't want my dad to know."

Paul chuckled, "I think I'm starting to like you."

"Enough with the hallmark moment, let's eat," I said smiling.

"At least you don't stink like a leech," Paul stated smiling.

As we ate, the wolves watched me curiously.

"So…does food taste good to you or do you prefer," Jared wrinkled his nose, "blood?"

"Food is delicious, and to be honest, the lure of blood doesn't appeal to me as much as it did when I first became this…whatever I am," I explained, "It's been a while since I last fed like the leeches do. My eyes have changed too. They used to be orangey but now they're this brown color. It makes me think I don't need to feed anymore, which is fine with me. I would ask Dr. Cullen, but I don't really like him. He looks at me like I'm some sort of science experiment." I scowled in disgust.

"So why do you hang with the Cullens?" Quil asked.

"Well, they found out what I was and they've just been there. I haven't killed them because they supposedly hunt animals. They're like some sort of disgusting rash that won't go away."

The guys laughed and I smirked.

"Nah, I'm just kidding. Not all of them are that bad…except for Edward…and Alice…actually they all kind of suck," I snickered at my unintended pun, "Jasper and Emmett are the only ones I like. They're fun to be around, but the others," I rolled my eyes, "are so boring and annoying. Since they found out what I was, they kind of like claimed me as part of their coven and I want out. I think they're hopeful that I'll become the creeper's mate or something. Eddie's supposedly in _love_ with me," I blanched at the thought. Everyone was amused at my rant.

"They wanna set you up with carrot top?" Quil snickered.

"I even got stuck going to the school dance with him," I admitted shamefully.

"Well, Bella he's kind of cute," Emily piped in; I saw Sam's eyes narrow, "for a dead guy." Sam's eyes turned from hostile to amusement. "What are you gonna wear? We should go shopping!" she said excitedly.

"You too, Em? I thought you were my friend, but you're just like Alice," I dramatically wiped a big, fake tear from my eye.

"So, Bell, what's in the bag?" Paul asked changing the subject.

"Oh, this?" I asked playfully holding my bag from the strap. I stood from my seat and dumped the contents on the table. Five jaws dropped, each trying to speak but no sound came out. I smiled grabbing a wad of hundred dollar bills from the stack on the table. "This is part of my inheritance. I received this small gift after my creators were brutally murdered," I said in a mock sad voice my grin widening, "by none other than me." They tore their eyes away from the money towards me. "Anyways, after I disposed of those heinous demons, I raided their stash. So, think of me as your own personal Santa Clause. Merry Christmas."

They finally found their voices, and stuttered out questions.

"Just think of me as your rich aunt. We're like brothers in arms. We're like Buffy's crew slaying leeches. You know what? I want to share and you better accept it. Besides," I lowered my voice into a whisper, "I have like five more bags full of cash lying around."

Emily gulped and looked at Sam. She turned her attention back to me and stood up. "Thank you Bella, we will accept your gift." She enveloped me in a hug.

* * *

I followed the pack to the council hall growing more nervous with each step.

"What if they don't like me? Will they banish me from La Push? I kind of like you guys. Mythical creatures need to stick together except vampires. No leeches allowed. What if they order you guys to kill me? I don't want to have to kill you guys. Well I wouldn't kill you but I'd be forced to defend myself. What am I talking about? You guys wouldn't be able to lay a paw on me. I could just walk away and no one would be hurt except your pride. I don't want to leave Dad. I just got here. What if Dad finds out what I am and he's scared of me? What if—" Sam interrupted my hysteric rambling.

"Bella, we're here," he said pointing at the door we had stopped in front of.

I turned my gaze to him, "Sam, you're kind of a jerk." His eyes twinkled in amusement.

"Aw, c'mon Bell, you'll be fine. Trust me," he said, "Now stay here while I introduce the situation to the council." The pack disappeared behind the door and I heard Billy's familiar gruff voice. I groaned. _Great._

"Why have you gathered us here today, Sam? Has something happened?" he asked.

"I actually have someone to introduce to you. The other day I was attacked and outnumbered by vampires. I was badly injured and couldn't hold my form. Someone came and saved me," Sam explained.

"The Cullens?" a voice asked.

"No, but please keep an open mind when you meet her," Sam said. After a pause, he called, "Come in."

I entered the small room hesitantly. Two of the council member sat on wooden chairs. Billy, in his wheel chair, sat in between them. The pack lounged on the sofas around the room. I heard a loud gasp.

"Isabella?" Billy asked shocked.

I waved and smiled shyly, "Hi Chief."

"What are—how the—Huh?" Billy stuttered.

"I don't understand. How were you able to kill even one vampire? You're just a girl," a man, I recognized as Harry Clearwater, asked.

"Care to explain?" the eldest of the council asked.

I took a seat next to Sam and Quil on the nearest couch. The pack took turns telling my story much to my appreciation. When they couldn't answer the council's questions any more, I took over the explanations.

"What is your relationship with the Cullens?" Harry asked.

"They're kind of just there. As long as they don't kill humans, we're on good terms, but if they ever did, I'd offer my assistance to the pack," I answered.

"Do the Cullens know the extent of your gifts?" Billy asked.

"Kind of…They know I'm a shield because I can block any of their powers, but they've never seen me in battle, so, no. They don't know the full extent," I answered.

"If you are to be our ally, would you be so kind as to share with us the powers that the Cullens possess?" the eldest asked in a way that made me chuckle.

"Sure thing," I started, "Edward is a mind reader, Alice can see the future, and…" I hesitated on Jasper, "a-and Jasper is an empath."

They conversed amongst themselves about the newfound information then Harry turned to me.

"What if the need to feed came again?" Harry asked warily.

"At one point, Jasper convinced me to try hunting his way, but it didn't work out quite right. Animal blood can't sustain me. It drains my energy, so…if my thirst ever comes back, I'd have to drink from a human—"

I cringed when my explanation was interrupted by yells of "Unacceptable" and "No" from the council members.

"Please, just hear her out," Sam said determined. The elders looked angry, but Sam nodded his head at me to continue.

I cleared my throat nervously and continued, quieter than before, "When I drink, I take a very small amount of blood. It's kind of like donating blood: not enough to cause damage, but the loss will cause just a bit of dizziness. I don't have venom like other vampires so I can't change humans either…" I looked down at my feet.

"How old are you exactly?" the eldest asked. I looked up to him confused.

"Seventeen?" it sounded like a question to me. "Billy, you know when I was born."

He and the eldest chuckled, "That's not what I meant."

"Oh, I was changed a few months ago," I replied.

"That's strange. I was led to believe that vampires in their first year of existence crave nothing but blood," he pondered aloud.

"Well, I'm not exactly a vampire," I retorted casually.

"I guess that's right," he replied with a chuckle. The council members conversed amongst themselves and turned back to face me. It was Billy who spoke first.

"We have discussed your case and now, have come to a conclusion. We trust Sam's judgment that you are trustworthy, and we are grateful that you saved him," his eyes softened, "We would be honored if you joined us."

My eyes widened, a smile tugged at my lips, "Really?"

"Yes."

"Welcome to the pack, Bells," Sam said, smiling. A wide grin spread on my face but it fell as a morose thought occurred to me.

"Billy, you won't tell my dad, right?" I asked honestly frightened. The room broke out in laughter.

* * *

I spent most of my Wednesday and Thursday night with the pack, patrolling the area for any rogue vampires. My afternoons were spent with my new friend, Angela. She was a lot like me and I liked getting away from the mythical side in my life every once in a while. I dreaded the fast approaching Friday dance. Alice tried to convince me that we didn't need to go shopping and she would make my dress instead. She kept asking the same question: "Don't you want to impress Edward?" to which I always answered, "No." Thankfully, Angela always saved me from Alice's constant whining while Jasper distracted her. Angela also kept Edward at bay which was fantastic.

"So, Ange, who are you going to the dance with?" I asked at lunch on Thursday.

She blushed and averted my gaze, "I, uh, no one."

"Why not? Isn't there anyone you wanted to ask?"

"Well, yeah, but…" she looked up at me.

"You're a strong, independent woman. You should go for it," I kicked Jasper's foot under the table. He nodded in understanding worked his magic.

"You really think so?" she asked more confidentially.

"Yes," I replied firmly.

"Alright, I'm going for it. I'm gonna ask him," her eyes gleamed with determination. She slid out of her chair and walked away. I saw Alice bouncing in her chair excitedly.

"Who is it?" I asked her curiously.

"You'll see," is all she said.

I turned my attention to Angela who had stopped at a table and was talking to a boy I recognized as Ben from my English class. I internally _Aww_-ed. He was a perfect match. I didn't know much about him but he was a sweet guy as far as I knew. Angela came back to our table with a shy smile on her face.

"He said yes," she stated brightly.

* * *

On the night of the dance Sam called me.

"We still up for cliff diving tomorrow?" he asked.

"Heck, yeah we are," I replied excitedly.

"Good; Billy's hosting a barbeque and you and the chief are invited."

"Sweet, should I tell him or is Billy gonna call?" I asked. I heard the phone ring downstairs and chuckled. "Guess I got my answer." We said our goodbye's and hung up.

"Billy's having a barbeque tomorrow. Wanna go?" my dad yelled from the first floor a few minutes later.

"Yeah, Dad."

I threw on a homemade Banner Hill tee and my favorite worn skinny jeans. Edward knocked on the door and I mussed my hair a little. _Perfect._ I took my time walking down the stairs to fluster Eddie boy just a bit. My dad opened the door about to let him inside.

"Hello Chief Swan," Edward greeted him politely.

"Hi," he replied. He opened the door completely to let him in and I stopped dead in my tracks. Edward shot me a crooked smile and that was the last straw. I broke out in a fit of laughter.

"Eddie, what the heck are you wearing?" I asked between laughter. Edward stood in the doorway in a black Armani suit, and his smile fell. Alice burst in wearing a fancy looking purplish-grey dress that stopped mid thigh. Three straps, connected on the bustier, clung to her left shoulder. She wore black stilettos that had grey ribbons strapped up her legs.

"What the heck are you wearing Bella?" Alice retorted which brought on another round of laughter.

"It's a school dance. It's not supposed to be formal," I said. "Besides," I continued playfully, "I'm not finished getting ready yet."

My dad was leaning on the wall, watching our exchange with amusement. I walked past him to the living room and found my faded black high-tops with frayed shoe laces. I slipped them on and walked back to the front room smirking.

"Now I'm ready," I stated casually. I kissed my dad's cheek, "Bye, Chief Papa Sir. Enjoy your game." He chuckled. I turned back to Edward and linked my arm in his, "Let's go, Eddie-dearest." I pulled him outside to a surprisingly clear night sky with a fuming Alice trailing behind.

"Bye, Bells, have fun," Dad yelled after us, "You still have that pepper spray right?"

I pulled the canister out of my back pocket shaking it, "Sure thing, Pops. Bye." I heard the door close behind us.

Emmett sat in the passenger seat with Rosalie behind the wheel of a flashy red convertible parked on the curb. Emmett waved at me like the goof ball he was. My eyes found Jasper standing next to a fancy black car in the drive way. He, unlike Edward, looked more casual in a button down, shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and black slacks. He slung a black jacket over his shoulder. He looked adorable in his formal/casual attire. He flashed me the cutest smile little smile that would make Edward jealous if he knew how it made me swoon.

"Oh Bella," Alice said mischievously from behind Edward and me, effectively snapping me out of my reverie.

"Yes?" I asked as she stepped in front of me.

"I brought you—"

"No," I interrupted automatically.

"Bu—"

"No," I stated more firmly.

"Bell—"

"Alice do you like that dress you're wearing?" I asked casually.

"I _love_ my dress," she said spinning around.

"Okay then. Drop it or the dress gets it," I threatened.

She froze, the smile slipping away, her eyes widened. "You wouldn't," she said frightened.

"Try me," I said, somewhat viciously. I smirked at the honest fear in her eyes. The other Cullens chuckled. I turned to Edward, "Shall we?"

"We shall," he replied. He leaned in close and whispered in my ear, "You look ravishing."

"Thanks, hot shot, you're not too shabby yourself," I offered with a smirk, popping his shirt's collar.

Edward opened the passenger door for me and I took my seat as did the others. The drive to school was quick and silent. I saw Angela sitting on a bench just outside the gym doors. I made my way to her, Edward following me.

"Hey Ange, you look great," I complimented. She wore a black and white, striped shirt/dress with black leggings underneath and simple black flats.

"Thanks, you too and Edward, you look…very sophisticated," Angela said, struggling with a smirk. I smiled slyly.

"Where's Ben?" I asked.

"He is, was parking the car. Now he is right behind you," she replied with a bright smile.

"Hey guys."

"Hi Ben."

"Let's go inside?" Edward suggested.

We all nodded in agreement. The rest of the Cullens caught up with us and we walked through the gymnasium doors. It seemed that Rosalie and Emmett escaped Alice's wrath. Rosalie was wearing a mini dress that matched her flashy red car and her red high heels. Emmett wore dark jeans and a black, short-sleeved, button up shirt that he left opened all the way showing his white t-shirt. The couple went straight to the dance floor. I heard the familiar beat of _Soulja Boy_ coming from the speakers and snickered. _I have got to see this._

"Bella, would you care to dance?" Edward asked offering me his hand.

"Sure, this'll be priceless," I responded.

He and I found Emmett and Rose dancing to the song flawlessly. Others in the crowd took their lead. Edward pulled me close to him placing one hand on my waist and the other on my shoulder.

"Uh, Edward?" I asked as we danced in circles.

"Hmm?"

"What are we doing?"

"We're dancing," he replied in a daze.

"We're waltzing…to the _Soulja Boy_…Oh boy," I halted my movements snickering at Edward's confusion. "Emmett, I need a little help here."

"Kay," Emmett agreed taking me from Edward and into the center of the dance floor. We started the steps to the dance as the music played. I called Edward to join us and he did, hesitantly. He got each step right but he was still out of his element. "Loosen up, Eddie-boy. Don't be afraid to shake those hips," I ordered smiling at him encouragingly. He finally got it by the end of the song and I saw his smile. When the song ended, I saw a group of guys and a girl on the stage.

"Hey, how are y'all doin' tonight? I'm Luna," the female spoke into the microphone picking up an electric guitar and strapping it on.

"Keith," the other guitarist said.

"I'm Lenny," the drummer.

"Noah," the bassist introduced.

"And we are Rehabilitated Bookworms," Luna said. "This first song is called _Second-Rate Sparks_. Kick it Lenny."

"1, 2, 1 2 3 4," the drummer counted them in with a bang on his drums. The two guitarists and the bass player played in harmony. Luna started whisper singing into the mic with Keith singing backup:

_This dust clings to the shutters_

_It waits for winds to blow away_

_Your fire ignites when sparks are matched_

_(In his eyes)_

_Wars over passionate embraces, _

_(Kissing lips)_

The music paused when the pair sang the next lyric.

_We can't explain this_

And it started up again with both continuing the chorus. The crowd bobbed their heads to the beat, swaying side to side. A few jumped around forming a small, wanna-be mosh pit.

_You realize the spark you felt _

_Was the static in your touch,_

_You're running, clinging to sparks flying off the rug_

_ And you're trying but you can't find that something real_

_To hold onto when you're so broken _

_ You're all alone…_

The next verse was sung by Keith with Luna singing backup.

_It's your first date and you're looking so smooth_

_ You think this girl's the one_

_Your fire ignites when sparks are matched_

_(In her eyes)_

_Wars over passionate embraces, _

_(Kissing lips)_

_We can't explain this_

_You realize the spark you felt _

_Was the static in your touch,_

_You're running, clinging to sparks flying off the rug_

_ And you're trying but you can't find that something real_

_To hold onto when you're so broken _

_ You're all alone…_

[Keith]_So you settle…_

[Luna]_So you settle for the one that wants you so,_

[Both]_Eyes closed tight, you plunge head first into a second-rate kiss…_

The song ended with applause and cheers from the crowd. "Thank you," Luna said, "We'll take request after this next song. This is_ Bulls Make Money, Bears Make Money, Pigs Get Slaughtered_ by Chiodos."

The familiar music played and Keith started singing: _"I'm right here in front of you and I can't stop sh-sh-shakin'—"_

By the end of the night, I had to admit, I had a lot of fun. I sung along to every song they played. Edward even convinced me to waltz when the band played _Helena _by My Chemical Romance. Much to my pleasure, I got to dance with Jasper too. It was a wonderful experience. I was so glad Jasper didn't know what I was feeling, the same went for Edward.

"Seeing as it is," Luna looked at her watch-less wrist, "around five minutes to midnight, it seems we need to wrap this party up with a tribute to Boys Like Girls and their appropriately named song _Five Minutes to Midnight._"

After the song ended, the chaperones kicked us out of the gym and told us to go home. We were walking to the parked cars, Alice opened her mouth.

"Do you want to hang out tomorrow?"

"I've already got plans," I replied.

"What are you gonna do?" Edward asked.

"I'm gonna hang in La Push with some buds."

The five vampires froze in shock and I stopped walking. They all yelled "What?" at the same time.

I sighed and repeated myself slowly, "I. Am. Going. To. La. Push."

"Bella, stay away from La Push," Edward ordered in a demeaning voice. It made me angry.

"Why should I?"

"Vampires aren't allowed," Alice stated.

I snorted, "I'm not exactly a vampire."

"Bella, I will not allow you to step foot on that land," Edward scolded.

"Excuse you? Who died and made you my keeper?" I snapped.

"Mhm. You tell him girl," Emmett said swaying his head left to right, his lips puckered, and his fingers snapping. I laughed at his silliness.

"We have a treaty with the Quileutes," Edward started seriously; "We are to keep away from their lands."

"I'm not a part of this treaty," I stated matter-of-factly. "Who enforces this treaty any ways?" I asked nonchalantly.

"The tribal elders. Harry Clearwater, Billy Black—"

I interrupted Alice's explanation, "Uncle Billy? He invited me to a bonfire tomorrow night."

"But—"

"No, Edward. Just because you can't go to La Push doesn't mean I can't," I stated firmly.

They all looked confused. Edward opened his mouth like he was about to ask a question but I changed the subject quickly.

"The dance was a lot of fun. I'm glad I asked you to come with me Edward," I said surprised when I realized I was being completely honest. Edward just as stunned. When he snapped out of his stupor, he smiled like a cute little goof.

"Yeah, me too," he took my hand and led me to the black car. I realized that both the others and the red car were gone. He drove me home in record time. I saw the curtains move in the window and smiled, knowing my dad snuck a peek. I opened the door and stepped onto the driveway, Edward followed me to the porch. I reached for the doorknob, but Edward caught my hand in his.

"Tonight was among the best of my existence. Bella Swan, you are amazing," Edward said gazing into my eyes intensely. A little too intense for my liking. I looked down at my shows, avoiding his piercing gaze. He lifted my chin gently and his eyes flashed to my lips. He leaned in slowly giving me the chance to pull away if I wanted, but I was frozen. He trapped my lips in his tenderly. I couldn't move and he pulled away with sad eyes. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have…I'm sorry…" he turned away from me and retreated to his car. Edward sped off into the night. I was motionless until heard the door open behind me.

"Bella?" Dad's concerned voice snapped me out of my trance.

"Hi Dad," I said plastering a smile on my face, "How was the game?"

**A/N: Rehabilitated Bookworms and the song **_**Second-Rate Sparks**_** are mine to claim so I claim their awesomesauceness because I wrote the song and if I had a band, 'Rehabilitated Bookworms' would be it's name(: If you steal either, I will put on tube socks, rub my feet on the rug, and shock you with my wicked awesome static electricity. Muahaha. **

**This is my longest chapter ever. I hope you liked it. I worked very hard.**

**Reviews would be much appreciated; I'll even trade you a preview. Deal?**


	14. Nine Point Five By Default of Drowning

_**A/N: I haven't updated in a while so I apologize. Things are probably gonna get slow once school starts up again but I'll try to update weekly. This might possibly be my last year of high school(: **_

_9.5 by Default of Drowning_

_I couldn't sleep and I looked for distractions. After my dad said he was going to bed, I went into the kitchen and made potato salad for twenty, knowing my boys and their love for eating. When I was finished, I opened one of my many cook books and searched for desserts, choosing chocolate chip cookies and apple pie. I baked enough of each to feed a small army. I heard Dad's footsteps coming down the stairs as I put the sweets into any containers I could find._

"_Bells, what are you doing?" he asked. _

"_I was just making some desserts for the barbeque at Billy's," I answered casually._

_He looked at the clock on the oven. "At four in the morning?"_

"_Mhm," I replied, "I'm just about done. Would you like a cookie? They're fresh."_

_He reached for the cookie I offered, taking a bite. "This is worth waking up at this god forsaken hour."_

"_Oh, I woke you up, didn't I? Go back on up to bed. I'm just gonna finish putting these away," I said guiltily._

"_I'm up already, let me help," he said picking up a plate of cookies._

"_Sure," I replied. _

"_Jeez, Bells, did you plan on feeding an army?" Dad asked incredulously as he put the last of the cookies into the large container. I laughed seeing the six large Tupperware containers on the counter full to the brim with cookies. _

"_Well, you know how I've been hanging out with Sam's crew lately?" he nodded and I continued, "They eat like pigs. I thought it'd be a good idea if there was actually food left over for the other guests."_

_He looked thoughtful and said, "Yeah, good idea."_

_We went to our respective rooms after we finished. I heard Dad's snores after a few minutes. I looked around my room, my eyes landed on my black laptop. Hello, distraction._ I pushed the power button and carried my computer with me to my bed, placing it on my lap as I sat down with my legs crossed. As it loaded, I tapped my fingers lightly on the keyboard, staring at the screen. I hummed a song quietly, grabbing my headphones and iPod from the dresser. I opened the browser as I set my iPod on shuffle. _"She called last night, still waiting for a reply…" _I checked my email finding two new messages. The first one was from my friend in Phoenix, Davie:

_Subject: 3=_

_I still don't forgive you for leaving like you did, Izzy. I miss you so much. I know things have been rough since…what happened. I love you Izzy. You have to come and visit soon. Come back home. _

_Davie._

_Re: Subject: 3=_

_I miss you too, Davie and I love you, but you have to understand I can't move back. There are too many painful memories in Phoenix. Maybe I can visit though. I don't know…How have you been? How's Stormy?_

_3 Izzy._

The second was from Renee telling me about all her kooky adventures with Phil and the baby. She sent pictures of her newborn baby. The first picture had a caption: 'Our first photo of Jeremy.' Renee held him in her arms with a tired smile on her face, sitting up in a hospital bed with Phil's hand on her shoulder. They both smiled, gazing lovingly at their new son. My baby brother was adorable. His grey eyes shimmered with the innocence of new life. His short brown hair stuck up in every which way, oddly endearing. His little hands reached out at me through the photo. A wide, toothless smile graced his sweet face. I couldn't help the smile that tugged at my lips. I looked at the pictures until the sun rose and I heard Dad stir in his sleep.

I turned off my laptop, gathered my toiletries, and went to the bathroom for a shower. After blow drying and brushing my hair, I went downstairs to make breakfast. I settled for omelets, seeing as I used all the flour last night and I couldn't make waffles. I turned on the coffee maker hearing Dad's approaching footsteps.

"Morning Dad," I greeted, putting two plates of food on the table.

"Jeez Bell, do you ever sleep?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Of course not," I answered teasingly. "Last night—err, this morning, I was online and I got a message from Mom."

"Yeah? How's she doing?" he asked. His words were muffled due to the food in his mouth.

"She's great. She just had her baby," he quirked his brow in interest. "His name is Jeremy. She sent me pictures if you want to see them."

"Sure," he replied and continued to eat. I checked the time, running out of distractions. "You alright?" Dad asked.

"What? Yeah, why?" I replied.

"You look a little out of it. Did something happen last night with the Cullen kid?" he asked.

"No," I answered too hastily. I hid my face, taking a bit of my egg to hide my blush. I swallowed, gathered the plates, and washed them quickly.

"Are you s—?"

"I, uh, have to meet up with Sam and the guys. I'll see you at Billy's," I lied awkwardly. I didn't need to leave until ten, but my dad didn't need to know that. "Bye, Dad." I rushed out of the kitchen.

"Bella, wait up!" he called after me. I spun around to face him.

"Yeah?"

"You forgot something," he said pointing behind him to the countertops riddled with Tupperware.

"Oh yeah, thanks," I said with a smile. It took us six trips to load all the food into my truck. I sped upstairs to grab my bag and ran out the door. "Thanks Dad, bye."

I showed up on Sam's doorstep at eight. He answered the door before I could knock.

"Hey Bella, what are you doing here so early?" he asked.

"Just excited I guess?" I answered half-truthful. He looked skeptical and was about to say something but I interrupted, "I come bearing gifts." I went to my truck carrying as many containers I could without looking suspicious to any neighbors who might have been watching. "I hope Emily doesn't mind," I added with a smirk, "There's way more in my truck."

Sam pointed me to the kitchen where Emily was drinking coffee. She greeted me and smiled. I put the containers on the table and headed outside to make another trip, but I saw Quil, Paul, and Jared (all shirtless) helping Sam carry the rest inside. I stopped in my tracks and gave them a once over. "Thanks for the help guys," I said with a smirk.

"Sure thing," Quil said. Paul and Jared exchange a glance, nodding.

"See something you like?" they asked in unison, smirking arrogantly.

I smiled impishly, "'Course."

"Yeah?" Jared asked confidently. I nodded my head.

"And that would be?" Paul asked.

"I don't have to carry all that chow out of my truck anymore. Thanks a lot," I explained smiling brightly. Quil and Sam snickered at their crestfallen expressions. I took pity on them. "Aw, c'mon guys, you know we love you," I said.

"No we don't," Sam and Quil teased.

I frown and slapped Quil's arm. Sam wasn't within my reach so I used my shield to smack him too. "Ow." Paul and Jared chortled as Sam and Quil rubbed their arms.

"That's what you get for being mean to your brothers," I stated indifferently. I turned and walked back inside the house opening one of the containers of cookies. "Want one?" I asked Emily.

"Sure."

I sat at the table with her as the guys came in and set the containers on the counter. As I nibbled on my cookie my mind wandered to Edward. I wasn't sure what to think when it came to him. I mean…

"Bella?" Jared's voice snapped me out of my reverie.

"What?" I asked.

"You were kind of zoned out," he replied.

"You okay?" Quil asked.

"Fantastic," I lied.

Emily put her hands on the table and stood. "Well, I have to go to the store. I promised Billy I'd bring chips to the barbeque," she said.

I stood quickly, "Do you mind if I come along?"

"Not at all," she replied with a smile.

I turned to look back at the guys and pointed a finger at each of them accusingly. "Do not eat the food I brought. Got that? You all know I can kick your sorry butts any day of the week. Even if you all gang up on me, I can take you without breaking a sweat," I threatened playfully but all that came across was the menace. I saw genuine fear in their eyes causing me to chuckle. They relaxed at my laugh. "But seriously though, you can eat those cookies," I pointed o the open container on the table, "but nothing else. Save the rest for later."

We drove to the grocery store on the reservation. As soon as the house was out of sight, Emily turned to face me.

"What's going on?" she asked.

I glanced at her and back at the road. "What do you mean?" I asked nervously.

"You know what I mean," she said. I didn't reply. Emily continued, "I mean: you've been acting strange today. I mean: your date with Edward was yesterday. I mean: what happened?"

I sighed and turned to her, "Promise you won't tell Sam?"

She smiled, "Promise."

I looked back at the road and pulled in to the small parking lot of the store. I opened my door and Emily followed. We walked into the small shop.

"Hello," an elderly Quileute woman said. She sat behind a counter. We offered our hello's and strolled through the aisles.

"Last night was really fun," I started smiling sheepishly, "The Cullens were dressed like they were about to walk on the red carpet. Edward tried to waltz during a rap song. It was hilarious. We danced. We laughed. We had fun. Then…" I hesitated, "Then Edward drove me home and he k-kissed me," I blushed remembering his tender kiss, I avoided Emily's gaze.

"And? There's no need to be ashamed of a little kiss," Emily stated grabbing bag after bag of chips from the shelves and tossing them in the cart.

"The thing is…I could've pulled away but I was frozen. I didn't kiss him back. He was the one to pull away and there was such rejection and regret in his eyes. I felt terrible. He just kept apologizing and then he was gone," I explained, "The kiss wasn't bad but it wasn't amazing either. It was kind of nice and that just doesn't make sense because I hate leeches—"

"Bella, stop," Emily started, "First, you're talking way to fast. I'm still human and I can't understand a word you're saying. Second, this grudge you have against vampires is understandable, but not all vampires are like the ones who did what they did to you. Give the poor kid a chance. It's obvious that he's head over heels for you and who knows? You might end up liking him more than you think," she said smiling.

"But—"

"I'm not trying to tell you what to do," Emily interrupted, "I'm telling you to listen to your heart and don't let your prejudice against his kind cloud your judgment."

The pack dragged me away from the house before I could take even one step inside. We walked along the forest. I told them about my conversation with the Cullens the night before.

"I think they're completely oblivious to the fact that there are still shifters on the res," I explained.

"Wicked. We've got the upper hand," Paul said.

"As long as they stick to the treaty, it doesn't matter if they know or not," Sam added.

"So Bells, how are we gonna do this?" Quil interjected.

"What do you mean?" I asked him.

"Well, you're still partly human, right? I mean you still have a beating heart and blood and stuff. You're still warm, so does the cold bother you?"

"Hmm, I still get cold, but it doesn't seem to bother me as much ," I replied. The winds picked up, as if on cue, and I involuntarily shivered. Goose bumps rose on my arms. A snickering Quil wrapped his muscled arm around my shoulders.

"One of us will jump in first and wrap you in our warmth so you don't die," Sam said half joking.

"I won't die," I muttered defensively. The effect I was hoping it would have died instantly when I wrapped my cold arms around Quil's waist, pulling him closer to absorb his warmth. The guys laughed at my expense.

"Shut up," I snapped, "it's not my fault you guys are so hot." I froze, internally scolding myself for my choice of words. Paul and Jared pulled off their thin, white t-shirts, revealing their sculpted torsos, and, much to my horror, started flexing their muscles, snickering as I blushed fiercely.

We reached the top of the cliffs minutes later. Paul, Jared, and Quil's teasing turned to placing bets.

"Fifty bucks says I make the biggest splash," Jared said confidently.

"Psh, I'll throw in an extra fifty if you win," Paul challenged.

"Both of you need to stop hoping and get realistic. This is my bet to win," Quil interjected. Sam and I watched their banter, but I got bored and decided to intervene.

"I'll give the one who can beat me five grand and a week's worth of my doing your bidding. Anyone up for the challenge?" I asked quirking my left eyebrow.

"Hell yeah!" the four wolves shouted.

I smirked and added my condition, "But if I win, you will have to pay the price," Paul was about to say something but I cut him off, "and I don't mean money."

"And what would that be?" Jared asked.

I grinned mischievously. "You'll see. So who's first?" I asked.

"Get ready to do my bidding, sweet cheeks," Paul said with an arrogant smile. He ran to the edge of the cliff and dove into the angry sea. The waves below crashed against the rock face of the cliff.

I leaned over and saw his head resurface. I shrugged and turned to the pack. "Six and a quarter?" I asked.

"I give him a five," Jared said.

Quil ran off the cliff and jumped with an impressive splash.

Jared and Sam shared an awed look, "Eight and a half."

"Sounds about right," I agreed. Jared an Sam followed with a performance that didn't surpass Quil.

"C'mon down Bells!" I heard Quil shout over the waves. I slipped off my jeans and t-shirt revealing my black tank top and boy shorts. I extended my arms to the sides stretching my shield out. I leapt off the side of the cliff loving the cold wind blowing my hair up. I closed my eyes exhilarated by the rush, adrenaline coursed through my veins.

The water crashed against my shield making giant waves. My concentration wavered. My shield dissolved. The fierce waves pulled me under water. My mouth opened on reflex to take in a breath but was met with water filling my lungs. I started panicking trying to find the surface. I felt a warm hand grasping my arm, pulling me. As soon as my head broke the surface I tried desperately to fill my lungs with air but was choked by the salty water that tried to escape. I allowed myself to be dragged out of the water by the warm arms that held me. I shivered clinging to his warmth. I heard my name being called by concerned voices followed by firm pounding on my back.

"Bella, Bella? Are you okay?" I heard Quil ask as my coughing slowed. I looked up at him and gave him a reassuring smile. He smiled back, "Good because that was AWESOME!"

I laugh/coughed. "I won," my voice was hoarse and quiet. My comment was met with gruff chuckles. My teeth chattered in the cold.

**A/N: Review for a sneak peek. Yes? Do you have any suggestions as to what Bella is gonna make the pack do? Tell me what you think. **

**On another note, give 'Die, Leeches, Die' a read. Give it a chance and leave a review. Thank you good sirs and misses(:**


	15. Disco Bites

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. The first week of school was hectic. It'll only get first, but i'm thinking on writing and updating on the weekends. Sound good? I want to thanks the fifty-some, forty-some readers who added me the their favorites/alerts. It makes me happy. Oh, my sister told me someone stole Miloh and his whole 'kinda-like-Jasper' mojo from me for their own story. I'm not sure whether to be upset or flattered. Anyway, enjoy the chapter, sweeties :3**

Disco Bites

I grinned mischievously looking at the boys. They visibly cringed away knowing I was planning something. "I won," I stated smirking at their horror.

"What are you planning to do to us?" Jared asked quietly, fear evident in his voice. My lips pulled up into an impossibly wider smile.

"What size shorts do you wear?" I asked casually.

Paul, Jared, and Quil's horror turned to confusion while Sam's eyes widened with absolute terror.

"No, Bella. Don't do this!" Sam stuttered fearfully.

I smirked. "Don't worry Sammy boy, I'm gonna go easy on you 'cause you're the one that saved me and all," I assured him. He let out a sigh of relief. The clueless boys exchanged looks.

"What's going on?" Jared asked puzzled.

I turned away from them and skipped my way back to Sam's house. I heard their footsteps behind me. The three boys muttered amongst themselves. Sam was silent. I could feel his relief.

I walked over to my dying truck turning to face Sam. "Don't tell them what's going on or you'll get it worse than them," I warned. He gulped, nodding his head quickly. I smiled, "Good boy. I'll be back in an hour or so." I started my truck and pulled onto the curb. I waved with my fingers smiling innocently at the pack's bewildered expressions.

I browsed the windows of store finding the most ridiculous, over-the-top store I never thought existed. A cute guy smiled at me as I entered the store. He sauntered over wearing a tight v-neck, Alesena band tee and almost-black skinny jeans. I counted eight facial piercings: angel bites, spider bites, snakebites, and eyebrow piercing, and a septum piercing. His long black razored hair hung loosely below his gauged ears.

"Hey, sweetie, I'm Scott. Is there anything I can help you with today?" he asked with a wink of his gorgeous grey-blue eye. I caught the double meaning in his question. I tried and failed to restrain my traitorous blush.

"I, uh, I'm looking for something utterly ridiculous," I managed to say.

"'Kay sweet cheeks, you've come to the right store," he said with a smile.

"My name's Bella," I told him.

"Alright-y then Bella, Follow me." He led me through the racks upon racks full of feathers and faux fur and glitter. "Who're you shopping for, sweets?"

"Four guys who lost a bet," I said feeling my mischievous smile growing.

He snickered and wrapped his long, slender arm around my shoulder. I felt my blush grow. "I like you, Bells. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

We laughed and joked as we grabbed ridiculous clothes off the racks. He called a guy from the storage room. He looked much like Scott but twice as big. His name was Jason. I gasped when I saw him. _Perfect. _

"Hey, Scott?" I asked slyly.

"Yeah Bells?"

"I was just thinking that Jason is about the same size as the buddies I'm shopping for. It'd be devastating if I bought the wrong size," my bottom lip jutted out in a fake pout.

Scott chuckled and turned to Jason, "You know what they say Bro: 'The customer is always right.'"

Jason's eyes narrowed. "Evil," he said darkly, dragging out the word grabbing the pair of glitter disco pants I held out for him.

When he came out Scott and I burst out in laughter. I had to clutch my sides. My lungs hurt. I felt the tears leaking out of my eyes. "P-per-p-perfect!" I sputtered out between the giggles. The pants hung snugly around his hips. They hugged his thighs and loosened slightly at the knees turning the bottoms into a seventies bell-bottom recreation. Jason turned to leave, and angry grimace marred his face. As our laughter died down, I wiped away my tears and tried to get the air back into my lungs. "I'll take four."

I went back to the racks and found cutoffs with a brown tail attached to the back. I turned to Jason and Scott. "This is the last thing," I told Jason, "Promise."

He rolled his eyes with a small smile and took the shorts from my hand. "You owe me one sweet cheeks," he said smiling crookedly.

"Sure thing, hon," I replied giving him a pair of wolf ears to match. He went back to the dressing rooms and came out. I swooned. "Ooh, Emily's gonna love me for this," I commented slightly out of breath. They both chuckled. We made our way to the cash register, clothes in hand. I touched the little candies and accessories. I added a leather studded collar and steel chain to my pile, smiling to myself. Scott quirked an eyebrow but didn't comment.

"You free tonight, sweetheart?" Scott asked.

I looked up to see his glimmering eyes. "Sorry, sweets, I have plans," I answered with my own crooked smile.

"Hot date?" Jason asked. I chuckled.

"Barbeque."

"And tomorrow…?" Scott asked.

"Not much is going on. What do you two have in mind?" I replied.

"Us two?" he asked.

"'Course, sweetness. I don't know you all that well to trust you guys won't murder me and chop me into little pieces," I explained joking.

"So you think two murders are better than one?" Jason asked with an evil smirk.

I chuckled. "I'll bring a friend along?" I chuckled.

"Sure," they said in unison. I saw a bucket of glitter and white body paint behind the counter.

"I want that too," I said pointing to the bucket. "Hey, do you have any vampire fangs?"

"Sure do," Scott reached under the counter and pulled out a decent pair of fake fangs.

"Four please." He pulled out three more.

"How much?" I asked pulling out my wallet.

"Five thousand nine hundred twenty eight dollars and thirty four cents is your total," Scott said while Jason heaved the bucket onto the counter. I counted out the money and handed him the exact amount. Both of their eyes widened.

"What?" I asked confused, my arm stayed up holding out the money.

"Uh," Scott started, "I was joking Bells." His cute smirk returned.

"Oh," I blushed and looked down at the total displayed on the cash register. I put all but ninety-four dollars back in my wallet.

"Zip code?" Scott asked.

I told him. "I never understood why cashiers ask for zip codes," I stated.

"Me neither," the guys said.

"Phone number?" Scott asked slyly.

"Cell phone?" I held my hand out and he handed me a slick black phone. I dialed my phone number and called myself. My phone rang and vibrated in my pocket. I saved the numbers in both phones. "There," I said with a smile.

I reached over the counter to grab my purchases. "See you tomorrow?" I asked them.

They nodded in reply. I slung the bags over my shoulder and reached for the bucket. "Careful, that's kind of heavy. Here let me get that for you," Jason offered. I lifted the bucket easily and smiled.

"No thanks, sweetness. I can handle my glitter." I waved bye to them with the hand that carried the bucket and left the store.

As I made my way to my truck, another store caught my attention. I went in flashing the old man behind the counter a small smile.

"I refuse!" Paul exclaimed the second I stepped in the door. He must have seen the glitter.

"Aw, but Paulie, you haven't even seen the best part," I cooed mockingly. I began pulling the pants out of the blackened bag.

"NO! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!" he screamed.

"Oh, but you're wrong," I smirked evilly. Wrapped my shield around Paul and pulled out the body paint. "Who wants to help?" I asked brightly. They back away, their eyes wide with fear. "Oh come on Sam, You get something completely different." I walked back to the bag and pulled out his wolf attire. He sighed in relief.

"I can live with that," he said.

"Now help me or you get the same treatment as the others. I bought you a pair too and I have no problem kicking your guy's butts to get you in them," I threatened.

He gulped and turned to each pack member. "Do as she tells you," he ordered. The guys groaned loudly in protest. I shot them a look and they shut up.

"Jerk," Jared muttered to Sam.

"Traitor!" Paul yelled trying to struggle against my shield. I sauntered over to Paul opening the container and dipped my fingers into the paint. I reached slowly and dramatically towards Paul's face trying to keep a serious expression on my face but failing oh so miserably while he squirmed. I smeared the paint on his face caking it all on one spot just to see how strange it looked against his skin. I made quick work of the rest smearing it all over his face, arms, and shirtless torso. I had to admit I did a pretty good job. I stood for a second looking him over to admire my work. I reached down and grabbed a hand full of glitter flicking it on the not-yet-dry paint.

I smiled. "There you go Paulie. You look better than the Cullens." I could sense the others wanted to laugh but the waves of fear were too great to conquer. "Now put on your pants and I have a few finishing touches for you, sweets," I loosened my shield slightly then tightened it again just enough so he'd feel like I pinched him, "but if you mess with my work, you'll get it." I threatened. He nodded in submission. "Good." I released him and he scrambled for the pants. "Who's next?" Jared and Quil hastily pointed to each other.

"Em, where're you hiding?" I asked knowing she was in the kitchen. She walked into the front room and froze, speechless. I hooked the steel chain onto the collar I put around Sam's neck and gave the leash to Emily. She held it loosely in her hand. Her mouth was slightly open. I put my finger under her chin and pushed it up. "You'll catch flies like that hon. You can swoon over your man-candy later," I teased. I looked over to Sam who smiled crookedly. The others looked uncomfortable and irritated. I grabbed the almost empty black bag from the floor. I tossed Paul, Quil, and Embry each a pair of vampire fangs and a small box. "Put those on."

"Contacts?" Quil asked. I smiled in response.

We walked to Billy's house. Each pack member held two large containers of food. I pulled red wagon full of the left over Tupperware containers and chips. The guys sans Sam groaned and complained the entire way. Emily held Sam's leash tightly in her hand letting him lead the way. I raised my hand to them threatening them mockingly with every annoying complaint. The front yard was full of people I didn't know and a few I did. Once we stepped into view, all was silent.

"Hey, Billy, Em and I made food," I said nonchalantly smiling brightly. The crowd erupted into laughter. Paul, Jared, and Quil glared with their blood-red eyes. It was actually quite menacing. The laughter turned back to casual chatter with silent chuckles heard every now and then. I waked over to Billy and my dad. "Hi Daddy, Uncle Billy." I gave my dad a kiss on the cheek and bent over to give Billy a hug. I whispered into his ear, "They're the Cullens." He chuckled and tried to cover it up with a cough.

I found Jake and Embry standing away from the crowd, glaring at the guys but still slightly amused. I sauntered over to Quil grabbing his hand. Sam put his hand on my shoulder.

"What are you doing?" he asked with what I'm assuming is his Alpha voice.

"I'm taking Quil to hang with Jake and Embry," I replied.

"No," he stated.

"Bu-"

"No," he repeated. I glanced a knowing look at Quil. We jutted out our bottom lips and widened our eyes. I tried to tap into the mind control I used to use for feeding.

"Please?" We begged like puppies wanting a treat. I felt his resolve crumble as he glanced at Emily who joined our sad act.

"Come on, Sammy, what's the harm in letting them see their friends?"

"Fine," he said hesitantly.

"Yes!" Quil and I exclaimed giving each other a high five. I dragged Quil over to Jacob and Embry who looked at us skeptically.

"Hey guys, what's goin' on?" I asked them brightly. Jacob looked angry. Embry looked betrayed.

"What's going on?" Jacob repeated. He gripped my arm tightly. "Bella, can we talk to you," he looked at Quil and back at me, "in private?"

"Uhm…okay?" I answered silently. I shot Quil an apologetic glance before Jacob dragged me to the garage. Embry closed the door.

"What happened? Why are you hanging with Sam's gang?" Jake questioned angrily. His tone was making me mad. I pulled my arm out of his grasp fiercely.

"Jeez Jake, get over yourself! Am I not allowed to have other friends? What about Quil? Just because he hangs with Sam now, you're gonna just be angry at him?" I asked harshly. My voice softened, "Quil's the same sweet pervert we all know and love. He's changed, sure, but he didn't have a choi-" _Oops._

"What do you mean?" he asked; all the menace was gone from his voice.

"I, uh…" I searched my brain for a possible answer. "It's not my story to tell, sorry, but don't worry. You'll find out soon enough," I ended sadly. I had mixed emotions. Was Jake next? Embry? Should I feel happy or sad? "Just…Quil's the same guy. He's still your friend. We begged Sam to let him see you two. Just treat him the same as you always have, okay? He misses you," I told them. They agreed hesitantly.

I led them back to Quil who wrapped me in a hug. "Thanks Bells," he whispered. I smiled warmly and decided it was time to break the ice.

I pushed Quil away from me. "Ugh, Quil! You got your gross bloodsucking-pixie dust all over me!" I said with enough disgust in my voice to let him know I was teasing. I held my arms out seeing the glitter spread all over them and my torso.

He smirked. "You got that right, baby. I vant to suck your blood," he said jokingly pulling me into another hug rubbing his arms all over my back and his smooth glittery cheek against my none glittery one.

"Ugh, quit it!"

"Well, you shouldn't have made me wear all this shiz," he bit down on my neck and my eyes widened in horror. I scrambled out of his grasp falling to the ground. My breaths came out in shallow pants as the painful memories of my makers flashed in front of my eyes. Their voices sounded miles away as I tried to recompose myself. Eventually their voices sounded clear and my breathing returned to normal. I saw my guys watching me with concern etched in their faces. Quil kept repeating "I'm sorry."

"What are you talking about Quil?" I asked lightly, smiling my small smile. I reached into my back pocket for my camera and snapped a picture that made his eyes widen because of the flash. "You just made me a vampire." I pulled the extra pair of fangs I kept in my coat pocket and put the in quickly. I hissed, "I vant to suck your blood!"

I managed to control the situation, but I kept myself on guard knowing the memories weren't so far away.

"So, you guys lost a bet?" Jake asked Quil.

"It was a bad decision. Never and I mean NEVER bet against Bella!" Quil warned in all seriousness. I snickered evilly. Embry and Jake chuckled. "Why'd Sam get it easy?" he whined.

I scoffed and smacked his glittery stomach. Side Note: It would've hurt if I was completely human. "Sam happened to save my life," I stated matter-of-factly, "Besides, I did Emily a huge favor. I wonder how she'll pay me back."

**A/N: Thoughts? Comments? Concerns? Did I live up to your 'Evil Bella' standards? What about Scott and Jason? Unnecessary or adorable? **** Unnecessary and adorable :D? haha. **

**I lesbians you****(Scott Pilgrim reference). All you readers are amazing(:**


	16. The Juice is Loose

**A/N: It's been a while, but I won't try to unload my excuses on you guys. It's short but I hope you like it(: **

**Happy Holidays. **

**The Juice is Loose**

"No, no, no, and no, you'd all scare them away," I stated pointing at Paul, Jared, Jake, and Quil, "besides, you'd all purposely mess up my day." They shared smirks confirming my suspicions. "Sam's not even an option. That leaves," I turned to the cutie in question, "Embry." His head shot up faster than a bullet.

"W-what?" he stuttered.

"Would you go on a date with me today?" I smiled up at him sweetly.

"Uh," a scarlet blush spread across his cheeks. "Sure?"

"Great, let's go," I grabbed his hand and pulled him out of Jake's garage. I opened the passenger side door of my truck for him and he hesitantly climbed in. I went around, got in, and started the engine against its protesting rumblings. "I need to get a new car," I told myself. He grumbled nervously.

"Don't worry so much. It'll be fun," I gave him a reassuring smile and drove to the store. Once parked in the lot, Embry's eyes widened at the ridiculous store before him. I opened my door. "Come on." He nodded and followed. The sign on the door read 'Closed.' I tested the lock finding it was open just like Scott promised. The little bells on the door jingled alerting anyone inside of our arrival.

"Bella," Scott exclaimed from my left, I turned to see him but he wrapped his arms around me obscuring my view.

"Hey, Scott," I greeted squeezing him back lightly. He let me go and turned to Embry curiously. Embry averted his eyes. I gently pulled his chin up and stared at him until he looked me in the eye. When he did I smiled brightly and turned his face towards Scott. "This little cutie is Embry. Embry this is Scott." They exchanged the casual male head nod in greeting. I messed up his already messy black hair. "Isn't he adorable?" I cooed half jokingly.

"Quit it Bells, I'm not a kid," Embry muttered annoyed.

"You're younger than me—"

"By two months," he stated defensively.

Scott chuckled, "I like him."

I wrapped my arm around Embry's waist. "Get your own man candy. He's mine."

"Hey Bells," Jason said. I jumped in surprise.

"Where the heck did you come from?" I asked.

"Well, you see, little one, when a man and a women love each other very much they—"

I smacked him playfully on the arm. "Not what I meant." I turned back to Embry and made the proper introductions. "Embry this is Jason, Jason, Embry. Now that we're all acquainted, where are we going?" I grabbed a pair of pink heart-shaped sunglasses and put them on. "Dinner? Dancing? A trip to the moon?" I added goofily in my best Mr. Krabs impression which, by the way, wasn't very good.

Scott reached over and slipped the glasses off my face and put them back. "We thought we'd get some lunch and get to know you a little better," Scott said. "There's this great pizza joint about two blocks over."

"I'm up for some pizza," I agreed. "What about you Embry?" I asked facing him. His stomach growled noisily in reply. He smiled sheepishly.

We walked to the restaurant appropriately named '_Westside Pizza' _and ordered a large pizza for each pair. We sat in the back booth sipping soda as we waited.

"Let the interrogation begin," Scott said. "Age?"

"Seventeen," I answered for both of us. "You?"

"Nineteen and twenty two," Scott answered. "Is he your boyfriend or just a friend?" he asked with a smirk.

I smiled and entwined my fingers with Embry's. "We've been together since we were eight." Embry blushed a deep scarlet, his mouth gaped open slightly in shock.

"W-wha—?"

I pushed his chin up, "You'll catch flies like that, Hon."

A waitress in her fifties sauntered over holding two trays with our order. She raised her eyebrow as she looked around the table and winked at me. "Enjoy the meal."

I felt my face redden. I resisted the nervous giggle threatening to escape by nibbling on a slice of pizza taking my hand away from Embry's clammy one in the process.

"Have you really?" Scott asked.

"Hmm?" I asked enjoying the food too much to form coherent words.

"Been together that long?"

"Sure, sure," I replied swallowing a bite. "How long have you two been a thing?"

Jason started choking on his pizza.

Okay, the Scott/Jason thing didn't work out.

"That was bizarre," Embry commented. I nodded in agreement. Jason had burst out into a fit of hysterical tears causing a scene.

"_You thought we were gay? I'm not gay! I'm not gay! I don't like boys! Why would you think I was gay? Do I have throw off that 'he's so gay' vibe? What is it? What makes me gay? I'm very manly! Look at how muscular I am! Does that make me gay!"_

_Scott shot me this hateful glare that said " I hope you're happy" as he and Jason left. _

I kicked at the dirt underneath my feet. Embry and I found a park after we were kicked out of the pizza place for disturbing the peace. We were sitting on the swings not swinging.

"I didn't mean to hurt him. You know that, right Embry?" I asked.

He nodded. "Don't you worry about it. He was probably a juicer."

"A juicer?"

"You know, steroids? His hormones were all over the place," he explained. "Just don't worry about it."

We were left in silence. I sighed and started swinging. My eyes closed as I went higher and higher. When I opened my eyes, I looked towards Embry who smiled mischievously as he was swinging. I smirked and willed my swing to go higher than his.

In the end he won. At one point I thought my swing would go all the way around the swing set but I didn't want to wound his ego.

We were laying on our backs face to face on the merry-go-round at the park, spinning it slowly with our feet talking about nothing and anything.

"Tell me about your family. What's your mom like?" I asked.

"My mom's a true sweetheart, but she's kind of a pushover," Embry replied.

"What about your dad?"

He didn't answer right away. "I don't know who he is. He bailed out when he found out I was coming along."

"That's rough," I said sympathetically.

Embry turned his head to face the darkening clouds above. "My mom was a naïve girl in love. She fell for his tricks and got pregnant at fifteen. After that, he just left. My grandparents weren't very supportive either. They kicked my mom out of their house, but she had a good friend who willing to take her in and help. So, yeah, La Push gave my mom a new start," he trailed off. After minutes of silence he turned to face me again and asked, "How was life in before you showed up in Forks?"

"It was fine, I suppose. Renee was always in her own little world, but that's fine with me. She was always more like a friend than a mom to me. When she married Phil, she was that much happier. She went on trips with Phil on the weekends, little adventures to satisfy their young personalities. I had my friends though, so I didn't mind," I told him, smiling slightly.

"If you were happy in Phoenix, why did you move here?"

My smile dissipated. "Staying was just too painful." My voice was quiet. I shook my head as if to shake off the memories.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" he asked cautiously.

"Not really, but maybe I'll tell you one day." My lip tugged up in a smile. "This is where I change the subject."

He smiled brightly, "You're so subtle."

"Aren't I?"

We talked about music. He liked heavy metal. I preferred acoustic. We talked about books. He liked Stephen King. I preferred Ellen Hopkins. We talked about movies. He liked action. I preferred romance.

"I didn't peg you as a chick-flick chick," Embry commented with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah. I know, but I'm a sucker for tearjerkers and romance happens to be the best genre to provide those '_aww_' moments whether it be happy or sad especially if they seem realistic," I explained.

"Like what?" he challenged.

I smiled and held up my hand pulling down a finger for every movie I listed. "_Moulin Rouge, The Titanic_, _Remember Me, The Notebook, Dear John_…The list goes on you know."

"Fine, you win."

I nodded, satisfied. Our feet began spinning the merry-go-round faster and faster.

Embry wanted to be an artist. I told him I wanted to run a book store. He wanted to travel the world when he was older. I agreed. We jokingly made plans to go to England one day. I tucked the plans away for a later date.

Then he asked me about Quil.

"What's going on with those guys? It's completely weird," he said.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I lied stubbornly.

He quirked his disbelieving eyebrow. "Uh, huh."

"Really, I'm as clueless as you are," I added.

"Sure, sure," he said sarcastically.

We spun quietly. He eyed me suspiciously. I grew uncomfortable.

"What?" I asked self consciously.

"You have little flecks of orange in your eyes. Did you know?" Embry asked, his voice soft.

My cheeks burned scarlet and he seemed close even though we weren't moving any closer. I realized I hadn't answered and said, "I never noticed."

And then it happened.

My foot got caught on something we had uncovered in our rotation. Gravity intervened and I fell on top of Embry, our lips glued together.

What this proves is I'm clumsy even when laying down. _Wonderful._

I saw my wide, shocked eyes reflected in his. After what seemed like an eternity, we closed our eyes and just were.

**A/N: The song I had in mind when I wrote the last bit is **Bird of Summer **by **A Fine Frenzy **specifically this line: **_"My cheeks red like fire engines racing straight to the heat of your skin…"_

**Title thanks to Tosh.0**

**I'd appreciate comments to know I still have some readers out there.**


	17. Sticky Interrogation

**Better late than never? It's short but...Enjoy.**

**Sticky Interrogation**

The next day, my head was filled with what had happened with Embry. I avoided contact with the mostly annoying Cullen clan. Actually, I avoided pretty much everyone, everyone except for Angela, that is.

The good thing about Angela is her ability to know that I simply wanted to live in my mind for a little while and respect the boundaries I try to enforce. At lunch she finally asked the very question I was dreading.

"What's wrong, Bella?"

By this point, I felt the need to vent. I was doodling in my notebook, connecting meaningless lines with my black pen. My eyes focused on my untouched food still sitting patiently on the lunch tray, waiting to be eaten.

"Nothing…" I finally replied changing my mind. My pen still moved and drew on the page.

A tray slammed down hard next to me on the table surprising both me and Angela. My pen skewed off course screwing up the tree I started drawing. I turned to face Jessica. She sat down next to me.

"I know that look," she said. "You're thinking about a boy."

My cheeks reddened and my pen hovered hesitantly over my paper for a moment. Jessica pinched my cheek.

"Ow! What was th-"

"Confirmation," she stated smugly. Her smiled was wide. "Who is he? Edward?"

I don't know what my face looked like but I felt completely confused. _When did Edward become a part of this?_ I asked myself, but then I remembered the dance I agreed to go to with him. At the realization I felt guilty. Edward wasn't that bad. I shook my head and saw that Angela and Jessica had leaned in closer to me as if it would satisfy their curiosity about my now some-what complicated love life.

"Other?" Jessica asked as if the answer would provide her with some scandalous gossip.

I looked away grabbing an orange which seemed to demand the attention of both my hands as well as my eyes. My cheeks were stained red but I focused on my citrus fruit.

"I just love your cheeks," Jessica said cheerfully, "They're like a human lie detector." She opened her bottle of apple juice and took a sip. "Ooh! Who is he? Who is he?" she prodded, but I refused to succumb to her preppy interrogation. The juice from my orange seeped onto my hands and marked sticky trails down my arms. After waiting for my answer had proved to be a boring task, Jessica started throwing assumptions at me. She clasped her hands together and had a dreamy look in her eyes. "I bet this guy had the butterflies fluttering like crazy in your stomach…"

_I don't remember any butterflies._

"Did you see fireworks?"

_I think I would have heard fireworks if they had miraculously appeared out of nowhere._

"Was it one of _those _kisses?"

_What?_

She asked no more questions as she lost herself in her own romance novel daydreams. When she finally came to she asked, "So?"

I wouldn't budge.

"Well, you're no fun," she pouted and walked away.

I turned back to Angel who pulled out a hand wipe which I gratefully accepted cleaning the sticky juice from my arms.

"I know how you feel, Bella," Angela started. My expression revealed nothing more than my genuine curiosity. "You're face is an open book, and we're on the same page. I went on a date with Ben yesterday and it was wonderful," she ended with a dreamy sigh.

I opened to a new page in my notebook and started my doodling again.

"His eyes," Angel gushed. I drew a pair of familiar eyes.

"His pretty brown hair." I drew hair.

As Angela continued to gush, I drew the features she listed off adding a few of my own.

"His lips." I drew a shy yet mischievous smile. I put down my pen and studied my drawing surprised.

"Is that him?" she asked curiously.

I nodded still slightly astonished.

"He's cute," she commented.

I felt a smile tug at the corners of my mouth. "Yeah," I said, "he is."

I heard the sound of a crashing window on the opposite side of the cafeteria. My eyes scanned the room, instantly finding the Cullens' table while everyone else was trying to find the source of the crash. My eyes found two missing Cullens' from the table: Alice and Eddie. Jasper and Emmett looked confused while Rosalie looked down right cheesed off.

_That's what Eddie gets for eavesdropping. _I thought but I still felt a small pang of guilt.


	18. Shattered Home

**A/N: I know this is long over due and I promise to write more often since school's over this week. Enough of my rambling. No excuses. Just enjoy.**

The sun was out for the remaining days of the week which suited me fine. There would be no Edward making me feel guilty. No Rosalie giving me dirty looks. No Alice pestering me about my fashion sense. No Emmett. No Jasper.

Angela was becoming more open with me; well, when Jessica wasn't around. She kept badgering me for details on my "steamy, hunk-of-man" I kept quiet about. As the days wore on, I became immune to the embarrassment her questions caused. It seemed that the occurrence at the park was simply natural and I no longer found my memory flustering.

The following Wednesday, I was making my way to Sam's place to check in for patrol duty. I hear the animalistic growls coming from the backyard. I sensed a familiar presence, but it felt different somehow. I walked around the back of the house where the noises were coming from. There, I found a massive russet brown wolf and Sam's black wolf form. Paul, Quil, and Jared were sitting on the back porch watching. They all looked concerned. Emily was watching from the kitchen window where she would stay safe.

The russet wolf looked like he was suffering. It whined loudly and writhed on the ground. It growled when Sam got too close. I walked toward the guys without taking my eyes off of the poor, new wolf.

"Who is it this time?" I started to ask but the whines turned to heart wrenching moans. The wolf began its transformation back into humanity. The giant think shrunk. His body was curled into itself but I could recognize him clearly.

Dirt and leaves tangled their way into his long, black hair. His face was contorted in agony. Lying on the ground was none other than Jacob Black.

I grimaced. "Ouch," I commented.

"You have no idea," Quil replied.

I nodded. "I bet it's even worse than vampire venom burning in your veins," I added truthfully. "Hang in there Jake," I called.

Jake turned his attention to me. He looked terrified.

"Bella, get away-Ahhh!" His scream turned into whimpering as he reverted back into a wolf. My heart broke a little for all the pain he must have been feeling. Quil must have sensed it because he gently grabbed my chin and made me look away.

"Look, I know you can handle yourself around Jake right now, but he doesn't. He'll be worried about you if you stay here," Quil said. I saw Paul, Jared, and Emily no in agreement from my peripheral vision. I knew they were right but I didn't want to leave.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked willing to give whatever he suggested a shot.

Quil didn't say anything for a minute. He thought about what I asked. It was Jared who broke the silence.

"Go and see Embry. He's the only one left right now. We had to take Jake at lunch during school. Check on him for us?" Jared asked.

I thought back to when Embry told me about his life at home and agreed.

* * *

I decided to walk since the sun rarely shared its beams of heat with the small town of Forks. I softly hummed a tune I couldn't quite place as I worked my way around the occasional puddle of muddy water. I kept my mind from straying to far into Jacob's current situation by trying to fit word with the song repeating in my head. _"And all I knew is better now and everything I'll do for you,"_ I sang softly.

I reached Embry's front door and knocked twice. I stepped back and waited for someone to answer. When no one did, I knocked again; still no reply. I peeked through the grimy window, looking for life in the house. I saw nothing.

"That's odd," I said.

I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Embry's memorized number. Almost immediately, I heard a loud ring tone singing songs I've never heard. I looked through the window again waiting for Embry to answer his phone. I tried to place the location of the sound.

"Embry here. Leave a message or whatever. I'll get back to you whenever I feel like it," Embry's recorded voice said. It was followed by a beep. I hung up my phone and put it back in my pocket. My eyes trailed to the ground. The hard wood floor was covered in shattered glass.

"Holy sh-"

I hurriedly turned the doorknob but it stood firmly locked. I pushed the door open with a little more strength than necessary. My senses flared. Scents I couldn't place grew stronger. _Blood._ My throat burned for the first time in what seemed like forever, but I kept myself under control. The distinct fumes of gas wafted in from the kitchen and I hurried to turn it off.

I let out a sigh of relief and leaned against the counter top. My eyes scanned the floor cluttered with pots and silverware. I saw a calico kitten poke its head out from behind the island. It meowed silently. I walked toward and bent down to pet it.

"What's wrong little kitty? What happened here?" It leaned into my touch and meowed again, walking away. I looked at it curiously, growing more concerned by the minute. I turned away from the cat and called Embry's name.

I heard a meow but ignored the tiny sound. "Embry?" I called again. Meow. "Embry?" I jumped when the kitten rubbed against my leg.

"Not now kitty."

I stepped out of the kitchen-_meow-_and up the stairs-_meow-_finding the room I knew belonged to Embry. Everything looked normal. Nothing unusual. Clothes, textbooks, and CDs alike were strewn on the floor. Posters of bands and movies covered the walls to the point you could barely see the blue paint. His bed remained unmade. His room was as messy as I remembered-_Meoooow!_

"Geez, you scared me," I told the kitten who finally climbed each stair and caught up to me. To meow was its reply. It looked up at me with urgent grey eyes that said "Listen to me!" I sighed as it turned away and started down the stairs, following the kitten. It led me back to the kitchen and around the island. I saw a tan lifeless hand protruding from behind it.

"Embry!" I gasped running to his side. He remained unconscious as I checked for a pulse. I let go of the air I didn't dare breathe out when I felt his breath escape his bleeding lips. His left eye was swollen with bruises, his right sported a bleeding gash underneath. Without further hesitation, I picked him up from the cluttered floor and carried him to his room shifting the mess away from my path with my feet. I laid him down on his bed as gently as I possibly could pulling the covers up to his waist and ran back down the stairs.

I found Band-Aids in the bathroom's medicine cabinet and a makeshift icepack in the form of frozen peas. I grabbed a few paper towels and rubbing alcohol before running back up to Embry. After patching him up I sat in a chair I found buried under a mountain of junk next to his bed. I looked at the now disguised wounds on his face, the bruises revealing themselves on his arms, the blood slowly soaking through the thin Band-aids on his knuckles, and wondered what could have possibly happened.

The calico kitten jumped onto Embry's bed, licked his face, and curled up next to his head, falling asleep soundly. My head fell into my palms letting the concern overwhelm me. The house seemed at peace as I sat and waited for Embry to awaken. The only sound I could hear was soft breathing.

The minutes ticked away on the clock, and Embry didn't wake. His face seemed more peaceful than troubled which was a relief to my troubled mind. I gently pushed back stray strands of his black hair away from his face.

"I don't think I could ever forgive whoever did this my sweet Embry," I said.

A door slammed downstairs. I jumped then froze. Heavy footsteps pounded on the floor, kicking pots against the wall. The shattering of glass echoed in my ears. Angry, gruff mumbles snapped me out of my frozen state. I glanced at Embry before dashing down the stairs once more. I halted my legs when I reached the kitchen.

Broken glass mixed in with a puddle of water and picked daisies covered the island counter top.

A man in his early thirties, maybe, stood with his back to me chugging a bottle of Jack. The scent of alcohol invaded the air. He turned when he heard me come in. The man could have been handsome in not for the scowl on his face and the darkness protruding danger from his black eyes. He had shaggy brown hair, a light tan, stubble on his face. He wore a white t-shirt and ragged, torn jeans.

What the f!k are you doing in my house? Get the f!k out of here!" he growled.

Even with the knowledge that I could kill this crude man in a second, he gave me the creeps. Then I remembered. Embry had said his mother usually got mixed up in abusive relationships. I was enraged, fuming, ready to kill this man.

"I'll give you to the count of three to get the hell out," I warned through gritted teeth. My hands were balled into fists. I shook with an anger I hadn't I hadn't felt since my time of torture and waking up to deliver retribution. I didn't dare look at the man. I knew my eyes would burn red as they did the last time I felt this murderous. It was never explained to me, but I knew what would happen.

The man strutted cockily toward me and poked me with his finger. My anger grew with each poke.

"Listen here,"-_poke_-"this is my house"-_poke_-"and I'll be damned if a little b%*& like you"-_Poke-_"tries to order me around. Now get"-_Poke!-_"the"-_POKE!-_

I couldn't stand his arrogance any longer. My limit had been reached. I broke his finger and the rest of his right arm in seconds. The sickening crack of bone was as melodious as his screech of pain. His fear of heightened when he met my piercing red eyes. His breathing quickened as he tried to cover the agony he was feeling for long enough to get away from the monster rage had turned me into. I grabbed him before he could escape, pulling him to meet my hateful glare.

"If I ever catch you around here again, I'll break more than just your arm. Are we cleared?"

He whimpered with fear.

"I said, 'Are we clear?'" I repeated, seething.

"Y-yes m-ma'am!" he squeaked.

"Good." I picked him up with one hand and threw him out the door.

As he ran away my rage dissipated remembering the injured Embry upstairs. My heart weighed down with guilt and fear as I thought of the possibility of Embry's mother collapsed and injured somewhere in the house. I resolved to check on Embry and then look for his mother.

After I made sure he was still soundly sleeping, I scoured the house. I followed the path of destruction, searching. I heard a small moan coming from the end of the hall. When I reached the room, I found Embry's mother pushing herself up into a sitting position on the floor. Her tan face was riddled with bruises. There was a deep gash on the side of her head soaking her black hair. I quickly made my way to her side helping her up onto the bed. She accepted my assistance.

"Bella? What are you doing here?" she asked me, bewildered and scared. Her eyes darted around the room as if she saw ghosts.

"Ms. Call, what happened to you?" I asked ignoring her question.

"Is he still here? What happened to Embry?" she buzzed, panicked. She stood and stumbled out of the room. I followed and caught her before she fell. I led her to Embry and made her sit down.

"He's okay now and so are you," I told her. Embry stirred but did not wake up. Ms. Call's eyes were glued to Embry's dressed wounds. Her tan skin paled. She did not speak. I retrieved the Band-Aids for the dresses as well as the rubbing alcohol and paper towels. I kneeled down next to her and examined the bleeding cut. I let the alcohol soak into the paper towel. Ms. Call paid no attention. I touched the paper towel to her wound and she shied away, eyes wide darting from my face to the bloodied paper towel I now held.

"You're injured," I explained simply. She nodded and allowed me to clean the cut. Silent sobs shook her frame as I dressed her injury. I didn't speak as I let my eyes take in the yellowing bruises on her arms and neck as well as new darkening ones, all in the shape of too rough hands and I asked again. My voice was soft and gentle, "What happened here?"

She sniffled away, remaining silent. Embry stirred once more and her attention turned back to him. I sighed I walked out bedroom door.

"I'll be downstairs if you need anything," I told Ms. Call before heading back down the stairs.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" I heard her whisper to Embry. I bit my lip and headed to the kitchen picking up pots and shattered glass, cleaning away the mess of what occurred in this house.

"Mom?" Embry's hoarse voice sounded.

**A/N: Sorry it wasn't a very happy chapter but it needed to be written for the sake of how this story will turn out. It's also not very long. I need to work on that. New chapter will come up soon, I promise.**


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